The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are the canonical literature the scriptures of svetambara jainism mahaviras disciples compiled his. Along with hinduism and buddhism, jainism is one of the three most ancient indian religious traditions still in existence and an integral part of south asian religious belief and practice. Lord mahavir, popularly regarded as the founder of jainism, was the last of the tirthankars who flourished from 599 to 527 b. The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all jains, especially the jina mahavira. Jainism for young persons 1985 e 24 kapashi, vinod jain samaj europe publications in search of the ultimate 1984 e 56 kapashi, vinod j. Jain books, jain literature, jain shastras in english. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. In practice, some places are definitely of more importance to svetambaras than to digambaras and vice versa, and these are managed by institutions affiliated to one sect or the other. Worshipers look at its thousands of statues through mirrors in order no to insult the gods and goddesses with a direct gaze. Imagine how different our world might be if the bible contained this as its central precept. The jain theory of karma has been challenged from an early time by the vedanta and sa. Even religious scriptures were considered possessions and therefore knowledge of the. Note the crescentshaped siddhashila, a place where all siddhas reside after nirvana. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like banking po, ssc.
It explores their history and relates how the vedic period in the history of hinduism drew to a close around the sixth century bce and how its gradual etiolation gave rise to a number of religious movements. Christianity is the worlds biggest religion, with about 2. The jain religion does not have one sacred book like the bible or koran, but it has many books complied by many followers. Jainism illustrated 1988 eg 40 kapashi, vinod madhav allwin ltd. It is based on the teachings of jesus christ who lived on the holy land 2000 years ago. Several illustrated books published in india by various jain organisations or managing trusts describe them by. In 300 words jainism is the philosophy and religion of jainas the followers of religion preached and practised by the thirthankaras, the last of whom was lord mahavir. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse. It is a city so holy that not even priests can sleep there. But the religious jains will do everything possible to prevent hurting any being. Part 1 topics include shree simandhar bhagwan, saat tattva sambandhi bhul, lakshan ane lakshanabash, panchma gunustanvarti shravak ni 11 pratimao, sukh shu che, panch bhavo, char abhav, panch pandavo, bhavna batrisi. History, society, philosophy and practice agustin paniker on.
Those who accept gods gift of salvation are empowered by the holy spirit to begin to live a life of increasing virtue and obedience to god and in this way show their gratitude to god for freeing them from the guilt of their sins. Hindus are in a similar position, even though they have the vedas, which can be considered the ultimate source of teaching. Jain literature comprises jain agamas and subsequent commentaries on them by various jain. Books without the marking generally deal with more specific subjects within jainism. Collection of complete texts by jain scholars from around the globe. Followers of jainism are called jains, and there are about 4 million worldwide. Jainism is transtheistic, and jains trace their spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twentyfour leaders or tirthankaras. It relates to the conduct and behavior of monks and nuns. Jainism is an ancient indian religion that emphasizes nonviolence and the ascetic life. Instead they have a body of holy writings or scriptures. In fact, the householders are supposed to evolve to the monkhood in the later stages of life as was the case with the hinduism in the vedic era. Books marked recommended are suitable for people new to jainism. The history of jainism after lord mahavira is recorded in the jaina literature preserved in various indian languages. Kama refers primarily to aesthetic pleasure, such as the enjoyment of music, drama, dance, painting, sculpture, and so on.
Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being. Regarding the ability of human beings to find the truth, jainism a. The following list of books incorporates a number of salient points of view, and they would be especially good for those not raised as jains. They relate to the conduct and behavior of monks and nuns. Those places where the tirthankaras and other holy persons have attained nirvana are called siddhakshetra. Religion and culture of the jains by jyoti prasad jain 1983, bharatiya jnanpith will provide an orderly and clear. Jainism is a religion originally from india that teaches that all the events in the universe are selfcaused, random, fixed and are independent of previous events or external causes or god. History of jainism is the history of a religion founded in ancient india. Holy book and place of worship of sikhism,jainism, buddhism. Jainism is the outcome of the teachings of twenty four tirthankaras or prophets.
Mahavira, the jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the bible with a single sentence. Try one of your larger public libraries or a university library. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. Pleasure, one of the four encouraged goals of life in hinduism. It began in the 6th century bce, the same time as buddhism was developing. Some artifacts found in the indus valley civilization have been suggested as a link to ancient jain culture, but this is highly speculative and a subjective interpretation. So he could be called a reformer of the jain religion or rejunevator of the faith which was already and had a long tradition.
The primary reason for the rise of these religions was the religious unrest at that time in the country. Mahavira, the 24th tirthankara who lived in the 6th century bc, taught that there is nothing so small and. The book shows how buddhism and jainism share the basic concepts of karma, rebirth, and liberation with hinduism while giving them their own hue, and how they differ from the hindu tradition in their understanding of the role of the vedas, the caste system, and ritualism in religious life. There are six highly recommended books that together form an excellent literary introduction to jainism and the jain way of thinking. Digambara jain temples have tirthankara statues that are undecorated and unpainted. Selected brief writings covering topics of interest. Bc as protests against the overdeveloped ritualism of hinduism, particularly its sacrificial cults, and the authority of the veda.
Jain philosophy is the oldest philosophy of india that distinguishes body matter from the soul consciousness completely. Contact us 715 bellemeade place, alpharetta, ga 0004, usa. These indicate that jainism is as old as vedic religion. The split did not incur doctrinal or moral differences but only. Jaina tradition teaches that a succession of 24 tirthankaras saints originated the religion. Since gautama buddha, founder of buddhism, belonged to the same region of magadha as mahavira the 24th tirthankar of jainism, and because both were contemporaries, it was assumed erroneously that jainism was contemporary of buddhism or was an off. In hinduism many sacred places are connected with water and rivers. Jains derive their name from the jinas, spiritual conquerors who had achieved liberation and perfection. The tenets of jainism and facts about mahavira are important for ias exam as it makes significant part of indian ancient history and indian culture ncert notes on important topics for the upsc civil services exam. In india, they share this feature with the buddhists. It is considered to be much more than a book, it is deemed to be the living guru of the sikhs. Jainworld is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of jain tradition of wisdom, compassion, equality, brotherhood, universal wellbeing and spirituality.
Instead they have a collection of holy writings and scriptures. The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war. Indeed one of the bestknown hindu books in the west is the kama sutra, a manual for sexual activity. Unlike monotheistic traditions, the jains do not have a unique holy book that characterises their faith. Christians worship in churches and their spiritual leaders are called priests. Vardhana mahavira was the 24th tirthankara a great teacher and is said to have propounded jainism.
In principle jain holy places are sacred for all the jains. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred. The name of rishava and arishtanemi are found in rigveda. Within sikhism, the holy book is called the sri guru granth sahib. Jainism is an indian religion that emphasizes complete nonviolence and asceticism. The site is on top of a mountain that is over 2,000 feet high. Jainism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The name of rishava also found in vishnupurana and bhagvatpurana. Jainism emerged in 6thcentury bce india, the same time buddhism was developing. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. In svetambara jain temples the images are always decorated with painted or glass eyes and sometimes ornaments of gold, silver, and jewels on the forehead. The most momentous event, which occurred about 80 a. Jainism differs from many religions in that there is no one scripture or holy book that is central to our faith. The jain literature which was complied by ganadharas and srutkevlis is known as agam literature.
Once again, we need look no further than the jains. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Bible is the holy book which consists of old and new testaments. Jains trace their history through twentyfour tirthankara and revere rishabhanatha as the first tirthankara in the present timecycle.
The jain path of purification was, in addition to the previous work, one of the very first books of its kind to be authored by a jain for the education of those unfamiliar with the jain worldview and way of life. Unlike most common monotheistic religions, jainism does not have one holy book that characterizes their faith. Jain theism concept of god in jainism harvard university. Guru is a sanskrit word for teacher, and within sikhism it is the title given to the 10 spiritual leaders of sikhism dating from 1469 ad to 1708 ad as well as the sri guru granth. List of books and articles about jainism online research. In the sixth century bc, india witnessed the rise of two new religions jainism and buddhism. It prescribes a path of noninjury ahimsa towards all living beings. This volume focuses on buddhism and jainism, two religions which, together with hinduism, constitute the three pillars of indic religious tradition in its classical formulation. Jainism lays heavy emphasis on nonviolence ahimsa and the believers of this religion, whether a monk or a householder, follow a very strict, well disciplined life. Jainism is a philosophy of contemporary relevance, based on the overriding principle of reverence for life. Here are answers to some questions which may be asked by the westerner on first coming into contact with the jains. Collectively these texts are called jain canonical or agam literature. The texts had to be memorised since jain monks and nuns were not allowed to possess religious books as part of their vow of nonacquisition.
Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. Also the religious books and scriptures were considered possessions and attachments for ascetics. It is perhaps the most comprehensive and concise book of its kind, and few books on jainism are as. Antiquity of jainism professor mahavir saran jain lord mahavira is not the founder of jainism. Indian high court recognizes jainism as a distinct religion, rather than a sect of hinduism. Jain scripture rejects both the hindu vedas and nonjain writings as. As action, this translates into nonviolence and nonpossession. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence ahimsa, literally noninjury to all living creatures overview. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. The faith is named for the jinas, spiritual conquerors who have achieved liberation and perfection. History and contemporary information provide evidence of competition and quarrels between the sects over the management of individual sites. Although jainism is an ancient and respected religion, it is little known in europe and america. Jainism, ajivika, and buddhism arose in the 6th cent.
Sanskrit verse from shivpuran lord rishabhdev jineshwar first tirthankar the omniscient and the all pervasive incarnated himself on the magnificent kailas ashtapad mountain. Karma the mechanism create your own fate hermann kuhn. List of world religions and founders, religious books. It is considered holy because of all the tirthankaras are believed to obtain nirvana while meditating together on the top of the mountain. The first of these was rishabhanatha, who according to. This point is proved by what is said in the following quotes from oldest hindu holy books that jainism existed before vedas were composed. In particular, vedanta hindus considered the jain position on the supremacy and potency of karma, specifically its insistence on nonintervention by any supreme being in regard to the fate of souls, as nastika or atheistic. Followers of jainism are called jains, a word derived from the sanskrit word jina, meaning victor. The tirthas of jainism are spread all over india and have been divided into two classes. Hence, the jain religion does not have one sacred book like the bible or koran, but it has. Only monks can read the scriptures, as in jainism, this book has very high spiritual values.
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