Jainism is an ancient faith rooted in the pre-Aryan Indus Civilization, concerned primarily with teaching ways and means of escaping the entanglements of the world. Jainism is a life-negating, somber, pessimistic faith. 

Scriptures: Agamas (precepts) or Siddhantas (treatises).

Gods: Jainism denies a creator-god. However, human teachers, Tirthamkaras (ford-makers), are worshipped once they have reached liberation. They consider Mahavira the last of twenty-four Tirthamkaras, the first being Rishabha.

Terms and Concepts:

Jiva: Life-monads (units of life), infinite in number, eternally blessed and omniscient, principles of goodness.

Ajiva: Non-living matter, obscuring and entangling jiva, principle of evil. Karma (literally "action"): material force binding an individual to the round of birth and rebirth as a result of any (even morally good in our sense) activity.

Omniscience: Experiential understanding of the true inner nature of reality. This kind of knowledge is considered the key to "salvation." 

Nirvana: State of liberation where the evil influence of karma has been completely eliminated; the liberated soul's continued isolated existence on the motionless summit of the world.

Cosmos (in Jain belief): Eternal, uncreated, shaped like a giant human being, 14 rajjus high (one rajju equals the distance traversed in six months by a being moving at two million miles per micro-second).

Self-mortification: Aspect of yoga, training of mind and body through ascetic practices, physical control and contemplative techniques, one of the means of destroying the power of Karma. The spiritually advanced are permitted to hasten their own death by fasting. Paradoxically, since it is a passive allowing oneself to die, this practice is not interpreted as a violation of the law of ahimsa.

Jains consider intentional killing of any kind of living being, or even thoughts of violence, very serious sins. Jains differentiate between living beings, from those with five senses down to those with only one sense. Ordinary people living in society cannot help harming the latter, although they should refrain from eating meat, certain fruits and honey, or from drinking wine.

Teachers: Parsva (ca. 9th c. B.C.E.) and Mahavira (ca. 6th c. B.C.E.).

Monks: Jainism is so austere that only the monk can hope to fulfill all the demands of the spiritual life. In addition to practicing the central virtue of Jainism, ahimsa (non-injury to living organisms), the monk is expected to refrain from lying, stealing (or using anything which is not first offered), owning anything, all sexual pleasure, and finally, to renounce all worldly attachments and involvements.

Sects: The major distinction within Jainism is between the Digambara (sky-clad) and Svetambara (white-clad) sects. The major difference between them is that whereas the Digambaras go naked, the Svetambaras wear white clothes. Otherwise, both sects agree on cosmology, ethics and philosophy. 

The Man in the Well or the Jungle Traveler: A solitary man journeys on a narrow track through a dense jungle. Suddenly he sees himself confronted by a gigantic, rabid elephant about to impale him on yellow tusks. He turns to escape but finds his path barred by a sword-wielding demoness. He tries to climb up a tree, but fails because its bark is smooth like glazed pottery. Just as he is about to be disemboweled by a combination of elephant tusks and the blade of a sword, he notes an old, overgrown well at the foot of the tree. He takes a flying leap, and manages to hold on to a few of the reeds growing at the edge of the well. He looks down, and discovers the bottom of the well crawling with snakes, a giant, hungry python in the center, its jaws agape in expectation of a fine meal. Looking up, he sees a white mouse and a black mouse gnawing away at the roots of the frail reeds which are his only support. He hears the elephant madly attacking the tree and feels something fall on his head. It is a honeycomb, dislodged by the elephant's charge. Bees a buzzing furiously, tormenting him with their stings. But a drop of honey slides down his face and falls on his lips. Eagerly he licks the sweetness. He forgets his peril and thinks of nothing but obtaining more honey. 

Thus, Jains believe, is the fate of the soul and the blindness of human beings. A similar story is also told by the Buddhists. 

©  1997 Ingrid H. Shafer
Last revised 6 January 2002