India is the birthplace of four major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Jainism emerged in India about the same time as Buddhism: it is based on teachings of Vardhamana Mahavira (a contemporary of Buddha, c. 540-468 BCE). The designation "Jain" is derived from the jinas, spiritual conquerors who have achieved spiritual liberation.
Jainism first began to emerge in eastern India during the 7th century BCE. This was a time of religious renewal in India; a time when several groups reacted against the formalized rituals and hierarchical organization of traditional Hinduism.
Jainism is based on the belief that 24 historical figures lived and taught the Jain truths. These figures are called Tirthankaras. Only the last two Tirthankaras can be historically verified. Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, founded a Jain community based on renunciation of the world in the 7th century BCE.
Mahavira was the 24th and final Tirthankara. While some scholars feel that he lived between 599 and 527 BCE, other scholars feel that he was a contemporary of the Buddha in the 5th century BCE.
Mahavira was born into the Hindu warrior class and at the age of 30 he renounced the world in order to seek spiritual truth in ascetic solitude. After 13 years he found enlightenment. His first 11 converts were all former Hindu Brahmans. According to Jain tradition, the monastic community founded by Mahavira had 14,000 monks and 36,000 nuns by the time of his death. He starved himself to death, a practice known as salekhana. Like the Buddha, Mahavira is depicted cross-legged in a meditative posture.
Maravira taught five basic principles to live by in order to escape the cycle of rebirth: (1) nonviolence, (2) truthfulness, (3) taking only that which is freely given, (4) non-possessiveness, and (5) chastity. Nonviolence—ahimsa—is the most fundamental value of Jainism.
The teachings of Lord Mahavira were compiled by his disciples into many texts known as Agamas. These are considered the sacred books of Jainism. The monks and nuns memorize these writings as they are not allowed to possess books under the principle of non-possessiveness. It is felt that many of the teachings of Lord Mahavira have been lost. Over the centuries some of the texts have been forgotten and some of them misremembered.
Like Buddhism, Jainism does not seek to explain the origin of the world and does not utilize the concept of a creator god. The universe is seen as having neither a beginning nor an end. Like Buddhism, Jainism is nontheistic.
As in Hinduism and Buddhism, the concepts of reincarnation and karma are essential parts of the Jain worldview. Freeing one’s soul from the cycle of reincarnation is the ultimate goal. The soul is uncreated, eternal, and has infinite power and knowledge. By ridding oneself of the karma that obstructs the soul, it is possible to achieve liberation (moksha).
Karma is a natural law in which every action—good and bad—has an effect on the doer. Karma is the determining factor of the form into which a person is born. Good karma results in a higher spiritual state, while bad karma has negative physical and spiritual results.
Whenever a karmic act is committed—verbal, physical, mental—subtle particles of matter stick to a person’s soul. As these particles accumulate, they weigh the soul down. Thus individuals are continually reborn in a cycle of births. The purpose of life is to obtain release from this cycle.
It is not just humans that have souls, but also plants, animals, and natural entities such as rocks and rivers. Since everything has a soul, care must be taken not to injure other living things, including microbes. Every time a life is taken—any life—then karma accrues. Jains follow nonviolence (ahimsa) in all activities. Jain monks will frequently wear cloths over their mouths to avoid unwillingly killing anything by breathing it in.
Jains are strict vegetarians, or more correctly, they are fruitarians. They eat fruits and nuts that have been dried to make sure they contain no living cells. They do not eat root plants as the act of removing them from the ground may kill other organisms.
Within Jain households, the floors are kept well swept so that living things are not harmed by stepping on them.
There are two main Jain denominations: Digambara and Svetambara (Schvetambara). The schism into two sects occurred very early in Jain history. The Svetambara feel that monks and nuns should wear white robes, while the Digambara feel that monks should wear no clothing at all. In addition, the Digambara do not feel that women can attain liberation.
About 350 BCE there was a famine which killed many Jain monks and consequently the memory of many of the Jain texts also died. The Digambara believe that during this famine all of the Agamas were lost, while the Svetambara feel that the majority of the texts survived. This is one of the important differences between the two sects and means that the Jain texts have different roles in the two groups.
About 456 CE, the Svetambara met in a council to establish the Jain canon of scriptures. There were many arguments about which texts were authentic. The Digambara were excluded from this council and subsequently they rejected the decisions of the council.
During the 4th through the 6th centuries, the Jain community migrated to the west, eventually settling in western and central India. The Digambaras migrated farther south. Today, Digambara is found primarily in southern India and has a stricter ascetic lifestyle. The word "digambara" means "sky clad" and the monks do not wear any clothes. The Dalai Lama, in his book Toward a True Kinship of Faiths, writes of an encounter with a Digambara monk:
I was moved to see the total abandonment, courage, and depth of ascetic commitment in his lifestyle and I wondered what it would take for me to break through my own prejudices of custom to be able to go naked like him.
In the Svetambara tradition, the monks wear coverings of seamless white cloth. The laity are permitted to wear clothes of any color.
Meditation is an important part of Jain practice and focuses on achieving a peaceful mind. Meditation often involves the chanting of mantras. Most Jains chant the Five Homages (panka namaskarais) each morning as a way of dispelling illness and bringing good fortune.
Within Jainism the path of human development has five levels. Sadhus (monks or nuns) who teach others are known as Upadhyayas. Acharyas have mastered the Jain scriptures as well as several languages and have a knowledge of various religions. An Arihanta is a person who has conquered inner passions and shed destructive karma. Arihantas are completely without desires. Siddhas are liberated souls who have escaped the cycle of rebirth.
There are currently about 4 million Jains in India. While the religion is confined primarily to India, there are about 75,000 in the United States, and about 25,000 in the United Kingdom (primarily in Leicester). Jain monks generally observe the practice of travelling strictly by foot. This means that Jains are rarely present at international gatherings of faith leaders.
An earlier version of this diary was posted on Street Prophets