Like adherents to their parent sect, Brahmanism, the Jains admit in practice the institution of caste, perform a group of 16 essential rites, called samskaras, prescribed for the first three varna castes of Hindus, and recognize some of the minor deities of the Hindu pantheon; nevertheless, their religion, like Buddhism, is essentially atheistic. Fundamental to Jainism is the doctrine of two eternal, coexisting, independent categories known as jiva animate, living soul: the enjoyer and ajiva inanimate, nonliving object: the enjoyed.
Jains believe, moreover, that the actions of mind, speech, and body produce subtle karma infraatomic particles of matter , which become the cause of bondage, and that one must eschew violence to avoid giving hurt to life. The cause of the embodiment of the soul is thought to be karmic matter; one can attain salvation moksha only by freeing the soul of karma through the practice of the three "jewels" of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
Differences in Doctrine These principles are common to all, but differences occur in the religious obligations of the monastic orders whose members are called yatis and the laity sravakas. The yatis must observe five great vows panca-mahavrata : refusal to inflict injury ahimsa , truthfulness satya , refusal to steal asteya , sexual restraint brahmacarya , and refusal to accept unnecessary gifts aparigraha. In keeping with the doctrine of nonviolence, they carry the Jainist reverence for animal life to its most extreme lengths; the yati of the Svetambara sect, for example, wears a cloth over his mouth to prevent insects from flying into it and carries a brush to sweep the place on which he is about to sit, to remove any living creature from danger.
The observation of the nonviolent practices of the yatis was a major influence on the philosophy of the Indian nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi. The secular sravaka, in addition to his observance of religious and moral duties, must engage in the adoration of the saints and of his more pious brethren, the yatis. The two main sects of Jainism, the Digambara space-clad, or naked and the Svetambara white-clad, wearers of white cloth , have produced a vast body of secular and religious literature in the Prakrit and Sanskrit languages.
The art of the Jains, consisting primarily of cave temples elaborately decorated in carved stones and of illustrated manuscripts, usually follows Buddhist models but has a richness and fertility that mark it as one of the peaks of Indian art. Some sects, particularly the Dhundia and the Lunka, which reject the worship of images, were responsible for the destruction of many works of art in the 12th century, and Muslim raids were responsible for the looting of many temples in northern India.
In the 18th century another important sect of Jainism was founded; it exhibited Islamic inspiration in its iconoclasm and rejection of temple worship.
Complex rituals were abandoned in favor of austere places of worship called sthanakas, from which the sect is called Sthanakavasi. Basic Listing of Sites. Fundamentals of Jainism. Introduction to Jainism. Overall view of Jainism. Philosophy of Jainism. Mahavira and Jainism. Pecorino All Rights reserved. Web Surfer's Caveat: These are class notes, intended to comment on readings and amplify class discussion. They should be read as such.
They are not intended for publication or general distribution. Return to: Table of Contents for the Online Textbook. Philosophy of Religion. Chapter 2. The cardinal principles of Jainism are: 1. Ahimsa non-violence 2. Anekantvada multiplicity of views 3. Aparigraha non-possessiveness 4. Non-stealing 5. Brahmacharya The first and the third are quite simple to understand but the second one needs some explanation. If it is not done, then the conclusions reached could be biased or incorrect.
Jains have deep compassion for all forms of life Jainism offers a quiet, overwhelmingly serious way of life, a cultural insistence on compassion, a society of ethics that has dramatically changed the world and will continue to effect change. Jina and the Soul The "Jains" are the followers of the Jinas. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so.
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Mahavira Last updated This page looks at Mahavira, who is regarded as the man who gave Jainism its present-day form. On this page Mahavira Find out more Page options Print this page. Mahavira Mahavira Mahavira is regarded as the man who gave Jainism its present-day form; although this is true only in the widest sense.
Mahavira becomes an ascetic When Prince Vardhamana reached thirty years of age, not long after the death of both his parents, he left the royal palace to live the life of an ascetic, or a sadhana one who renounces all worldly pleasures and comforts.
Mahavira the teacher From that day forward Mahavira taught the path he had discovered to other seekers. Page from a Kalpasutra manuscript showing Mahavira preaching left and discoursing right , Gujarat, Western India, 2nd half of 15th century. During years of wandering as a homeless ascetic, Mahavira endured great hardships, including cruel treatment by men and attacks by animals, and earned the name Mahavira or 'great hero'.
In the 13th year of wandering he gained enlightenment. This event is seldom depicted. However, the gods constructed a heavenly preaching hall, the samavasarana, for him when he had attained enlightenment. Mahavira is depicted in the centre of a samavasarana, where gods, men and animals come together in peace to hear him preach.
Jain temples are conceived as replicas on earth of these celestial assembly halls. Finally, in the town of Papa or Pava, in Bihar, he attained final release moksa and became a Jina. We offer a wide range of tours to meet your group requirements.
Whether a group has a special area of interest, wishes to explore a particular gallery or just get an overview of the Museum's collection the Groups Team can help.
We have launched a new website and are reviewing this page. Aparigraha non-possessiveness. The first and the third are quite simple to understand but the second one needs some explanation. Difference of view points, quite often, add to the knowledge and one should infer, only after hearing diverse views on any subject.
If it is not done, then the conclusions. It provides for the tolerance for the views of the others. One can have a better perception only after hearing others. For example, we are all familiar with the story of the eight blind men and an elephant. There the views expressed about the elephant by each of the blind men were correct but only partial knowledge could be obtained from any one view.
The total knowledge about the elephant could be had only by listening to all of them. An object can, on occasions, be described by two completely opposite statements, i. These two statements can be made referring to 1 substance, 2 place, 3 time, and 4 form. Let us take an example of a piece of furniture.
0コメント