Jainism
Let's learn about Jainism! Never heard of it, huh? It's actually one of the oldest religions along with Christianity. You most likely never heard of it because Jainism has always been the faith of a small minority. However, there is still to this day two million Indians who consider themselves Jains. The values of Jainism teach that every living thing is very special and prom
Vardhamana Mahavira
-Born in northern India in about 340 B.C. from a kshatriya family
-Left home at the age of thirty to find salvation and enlightenment by escaping the cycle of incarnation
-He found enlightenment while traveling in the Ganges Valley
-He abandoned all worldly possessions (even clothes)
-Spent the remain of his life teaching an ascetic doctrine of detachment from the world
-Died in 468 B.C.
-Mahavira had a group of followers that dedicated their life's to his teachings and formed a monastic order to perpetuates and spread his message. They called themselves Jains and referred Mahavira as Jina ("the conqueror") and created Brahmin cults
-Left home at the age of thirty to find salvation and enlightenment by escaping the cycle of incarnation
-He found enlightenment while traveling in the Ganges Valley
-He abandoned all worldly possessions (even clothes)
-Spent the remain of his life teaching an ascetic doctrine of detachment from the world
-Died in 468 B.C.
-Mahavira had a group of followers that dedicated their life's to his teachings and formed a monastic order to perpetuates and spread his message. They called themselves Jains and referred Mahavira as Jina ("the conqueror") and created Brahmin cults
Beliefs
-All animals, plants, and human beings possessed souls.
-Each soul was equally valuable and should be treated with respect and passion.
-Each soul participated in the ultimate reality of the world.
-Jains believe in reincarnation and seek to achieve liberation - which means escaping the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth so that the immortal soul lives for ever in a state of bliss.
-Liberation is achieved by eliminating all karma from the soul.
There are no Gods, just souls that found their way to earth.
-All occupations participated in violence to the souls
~farming involves the killing of pests and harvesting of living plants
~leather tanning involved killing animals
~carpenter work involved the killing of trees
-Each soul was equally valuable and should be treated with respect and passion.
-Each soul participated in the ultimate reality of the world.
-Jains believe in reincarnation and seek to achieve liberation - which means escaping the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth so that the immortal soul lives for ever in a state of bliss.
-Liberation is achieved by eliminating all karma from the soul.
There are no Gods, just souls that found their way to earth.
-All occupations participated in violence to the souls
~farming involves the killing of pests and harvesting of living plants
~leather tanning involved killing animals
~carpenter work involved the killing of trees
Lifestyle
-Underwent purification by by observing the principal of ahimsa (nonviolence) which is one of the 5 mahavratas (5 great vows).
-Devoted their lives to not bruising or hurting any soul.
-Jains followed a strict vegetarian diet, swept the ground as they walked, strained their drinking water through cloth filters, wore masks, and avoided sudden movement all so that they wouldn't damage any respected soul.
-Jainism takes a lot of commitment which most workers could not achieve. They appreciated the souls and the high moral standards, so the supported the Jain Monks by helping spread the religion and donated what they could.
-Live in a way that minimizes their use of the world's resources
-Devoted their lives to not bruising or hurting any soul.
-Jains followed a strict vegetarian diet, swept the ground as they walked, strained their drinking water through cloth filters, wore masks, and avoided sudden movement all so that they wouldn't damage any respected soul.
-Jainism takes a lot of commitment which most workers could not achieve. They appreciated the souls and the high moral standards, so the supported the Jain Monks by helping spread the religion and donated what they could.
-Live in a way that minimizes their use of the world's resources
Social position
-Jains didn't recognize social hierarchies based on caste or jati
-Their faith became popular within the lower classes including merchants, scholars, and literary figures
-Their faith became popular within the lower classes including merchants, scholars, and literary figures