Religious Movements Homepage: Jainism

Jainism

I. Group Profile

Name: Jainism
Founder: Vardhamana Mahavira. Although he is only one in a list of 24 founding tirthankaras . ¹
Date of Birth: 599 BCE died 527 BCE ²
Birth Place: Kundalpur, India ²
Year Founded: Approximately 1200 years ago.
Sacred or Revered Texts: The 14 Purvas (lost) are agreed to be sacred texts by both the Svetamaba ra and Digambara sects, however, the Svetambaras also include the Angas, (rules for the ascetics, doctrine, and narratives) the Upangas (the teachings of the tirthankaras), the Chedasutras (disciplanary acts for ascetics), the Mulasutras (or texts that contain the basic law),the Prakirnakasutras (hymns), and the Culikasutras (more literature). The Digambaras include the Satkhandagama which describes karma , the Kasaayapahuda, which discusses passions, and the Anuyogas. ²
The sacred texts of Jainism are the teachings of the 24 tirthankaras, those who have gained omniscence. The texts are written in Prakrit and contain basic Jain doctrine, codes of practice, and narrative literature ⁵ .
Cult or Sect:

Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect"

Size of Group : There are approximately 4 million Jains in India which has a population of 1 billion. ²
Geographical Distribution : There are over 4 million Jains spread throughout India with large concentrations in Gujarat, 75,000 in the United States, and significant populations in the United Kingdom.
Diaspora : Although North America reports having over75,000 Jains, the fastest gowing population of Jains outside of India are those in Leicester, Britian. The first Jains that came to Leicester, came in the 1960s to study business. In the early 1980s it was reported that over 16,200 Jains resided in Leicester. There are approximately 21,000 Jains in Africa and 5,000 in Asia. ¹⁶
Jain Occupations : The Jains are one of the wealthiest populations in India. This is because most Jains choose business for a profession as opposed to agriculture or trade professions. Jains tend to choose business because it is the least himsic of all professions. Although Jains do tend to be wealthy, and this conflicts with the belief that one should not be concerned with worldly goods, Jains rarely show their wealth in the form of goods and often make large donations toward the building of temples. ²
Reform Movements : Most reform movements seem to revolve around returning to the ideal of dharma .Two major reform movements evolved out of the Svetambara sect. They are known as the Stanakvasis and the Terapanthis. Both are said to have their roots with a layman known asLonka Shah who studied Svetambara scriptues. He found that the practice of Jainism had little basis in the scripture. For Stanakvasis, the adherenceto ahimsa and to compassion is vital. Image worship is rejected onthe basis that it is corrupt and represents ties to worldly goods. Instead, Stanakvasis participate solely in bhavapuja or mental worship. For the most part, Stanakvasis reside in Gujarat. ¹⁷

The Terapanthis name their official founder as Acarya Bhiksu. Bhiksu was born in 1776 in Rajistan and was originally a Stanikvasi. Like the Stanikvasis, Terapanthis, reject image worship and belive that ahimsa is vital. Basing his beliefs on the scripture, Bhiksu said that ahimsa had little to do with love, compassion, or merit, but rather, that it was beneficial because of the self discipline that removes karma which is bound to the soul. Based on this, Bhiksu saw any act of violence as detrimental to the condition of the soul. Acarya Tulsi, the ninth acarya of the Terapanthis, is the first to turn his attention to modernization and the laity. Through what is known as the Anuvrat movement, Acarya Tulsi has attempted to make the values of Jainism applicable to all people of all religions. Terapanthis have put an emphasis on the need for lay involvement and have allowed for partially ordained ascetics. Terapanthis also allow ascetics to travel abroad. ¹⁸

Before the development of the Svetambara Terapanthi movement, a Digambara Terapanthi movement was already established and well on its wayto reform. Although this movement does not completely reject image worship, it does reject worship of any image other than that of the jina . The emphasis for worship among Digambara Terapanthis is the scriptue. The sacred texts are worshipped and the dharma in the texts is the focus. ²
Another reform movement was begun by Shrimad Rajacandra, a half Hindu, half Jain layman. Rajacandra studied a variety of religious literature and was most influenced by Digambara texts, specifically the writings of Kundakunda. He rejected the value of ritual, feeling that it compromised unattachment. Thus, the focus of Rajacandra's movement became inward meditation and self reflection.
Another reformer, Kanji Svami began what is known as the Kanji Svami Panth. KanjiSvami took initiation as a Stanakvasi monk in 1913 and was greatly influenced by the writings of Kundakunda and began to consider himself Digambara. Most of Kanji Svami's beliefs were identical to Digambara beliefs and focused on the value of doctrine. ¹⁹
| Profile | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography | Glossary

II. History

The term Jain comes form the Sanskrit word "jina," which means he who conquers. Specifically itrefersto he who has conquered the human tradition of suffering and has found a type of liberation. Mahavira is considered to be the founder of Jainism although he is only one in a list of 24 jinas also known as tirthankara ¹ . These tirthankaras are said to have attained kavelenjnana or absolute knowledge. This absolute knowledge leads to the removal of all karma , one of the nine tattvas , and allows the enlightened being to ascend into the heavens ⁶ .

Mahavira is considered the founder because he is the tirthankara that has come in an age closest to our own. There are various stories of Mahavira's birth, but most include some varition of the following: Mahavira descended into the womb of a sudra (low-caste) woman. The woman had 14 auspiscious dreams, each of which suggested the greatness of the child. The king of the gods, Sakra, did not feel that Mahavira should be born to a low caste woman, however, and Mahavira was transplanted into the womb of a ksatriya (warrior caste) woman. ³

Mahavira was born in 599BC and Digambaras claim he was cleibate while Svetambaras believe he had a wife. Mahavira was expected to be a great king but after the death of his parents he renounced the world and began to live a life of asceticism. After twelve years of asceticism, Mahavira gained enlightenment and became a tirthankara ⁷ .

Mahavira, the tirthankara of the current age had come to teach the way to enlightenment. The word for word teaching of Mahavira was recorded in the sacred text known as the Purvas which was lost after the death of the ascetic Badrabahu, the last of the scripturally omniscient ones. It is said that Mahavira was sitting under a tree one day when 11 Brahmins (Hindus) heard his teachings and immediately converted. These 11 men became known as the ganadaharas . Nineof the 11 achieved moksa immediately while 2 others achieved it ata later time. The two ganadharas who did not achieve immediate moksa were Indrabhutigautama and Sudharma. Sudharma initiated Jambu and so a sampradaya, was established. ² Sampradaya means to give outward together or to transmit. Thus, it is the lineage of teachings from teacher to student.

Sometime around the 3rd century BCE, Jainism broke into two sects or two sperate lineages, one known as Svetambar a founded by Sudharma and the other known as Digambara , founded by Visakha. At this point the religion split in two very distinct paths. While basic doctrinal matters remained mostly the same, specific beliefs about clothing, sacred texts, and the ability ofwomen to obtain moksa differed greatly. ⁴ .

III. Beliefs of the Group

As with many Eastern Religions, Jains believe that the soul is eternal and experiences many consecutive births in order to work toward complete enlightenment which ultimately leads to moksa or liberation. The path to moksa for Jains however, is different from that of Hindus and Buddhists. For Jains, the path to moksa begins with ahimsa or non-harming. This means for the layity, not harming any two to five sensed beings and for the ascetics, complete ahimsa for all creatures.

As with otherEastern Religions, Jains do believe in the concept of karma but in Jainism, karma has substance to it, it is matter that sticks to the soul. Our souls collect this karma , either good (punya) or bad (papa). The state of one's karma ultimately determines one's ability to gain enlightenment. All Jains believe in the triratna or the triple gems which are (1) right knowledge of the dharma , (2) right faith in the teaching of the jina , and(3) right conduct according to the dharma . Jains believe that there are five entities that constitute everything that exists in the Universe. These are known as the 5 astikayas which include jiva (soul), dharma (motion), adharma (rest), pugdala (atoms), and akasha (space) ⁸ .

Jains believe that the soul, or jiva , is eternal, uncreated, and infinite. It experiences countless rebirths until one finally achieves liberation, or moksa , by gaining omniscence. Karma is the force that determines one's status in the world which ultimately effects one's ability to obtain moksa ⁹ . Thus, this enlightenment that leads to liberation is obtained by follwing or believing in the nine tattvas . These are:

jiva or soul,
ajiva or non-soul,
asrava, or that our souls collect karma,
papa, bad karma,
punya, good karma,
bandha or the bondage of karma to the soul,
samvara, the stopping of collecting papa,
nirjara, getting rid of the bad karma, and finally
moksa, complete liberation ¹⁰ .

The Jain conceptions of time and space are essential to one's ability toobtain moksa . The Cosmos consists of the heavens, earth, and hell. This is known as the triloka . The heavens consist of various levels, the highest being where the tirthankaras reside. Below the realm of the tirthankaras is the devaloka where the gods reside. Hell consits of seven levels and as the levels drop, the moral quality of the karma in that region decreases. At the center of the Universe is Bharata, the place in which we live. It is the only place in the cosmos where moksa can beachieved. ²

Just as space is important to moksa , so too is time. For Jains, thecosmic time cycle consists of six ascending and six descending eras of unimaginable length. The first eras in these cycles represent the happiest times and the 6th eras represent the most miserable times. We are currently in the 5th descending era, just after the life of Mahavira. The tirthankaras appear to teach the dharma in the 3rd or 4th eras. This is because there is an equal mix of happiness and sadness. If the age is too happy, people will not have the desire for moksa, and if the era is in great despair, the tirthankara will not be recognized. Thus, moksa can only be achieved when there is a mixture of happiness and sadness. ²

The only way to obtain moksa is to live a life of complete asceticism. This means renouncing all worldly things. In fact, monastics do not particpate in temple worship because it focuses on worldly things but they do participate in pilgrimage . The life of a monastic begins with diksa or initiation, in which the individual takes six vows known as Mahavratas .These include:

ahimsa for all living things,
no lying,
no taking of that which is not freely given,
no worldly attachments, and
no walking after dark.

For the ascetics, there are 14 stages of spiritual attainment known as gunasthanas . These are the way one moves away from bad karma and toward moksa .

Links to Jainism Web Resources

Jainism: Principles, Tradition, and Practices

http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/jainlinks.html

Jainworld
This site contains an overview of Jainism including literature, philosophy, and the contribution of Jainism to Indian society. http://www.jainworld.com

All Faiths Press
This page gives a brief summary for all world religions. The overview for Jainism consists of the sacred texts, founder, and adherents. http://allfaithspress.com

JainNet
This page contains anintroduction to Jainism including discussion of the tirthankaras, ahimsa and moksa. The site has a news group which serves as a question and answer forum. This site also contains numerous links to other pages on Jainism. http://www.jainnet.com

Essence of Jainism
This site discusses the essence of Jainism with by examining original Jain texts. The site contains various links to other Jain material on the web. http://www.angelfire.com/co/atmajyoti

Jain Heritage
This site gives a general introduction to the basic beliefs of Jainism. It includes descriptions of karma, the soul (jiva), moksa, ahimsa, the 12 vows of the Jain layity, and the astikayas. http://www.jainheritage.com/essence.html

Jainism
This page discusses the jinas or tirthankaras, the origins of Jainism, the vows of the layity, and vegitarianism as a means of ensuring ahimsa.
http://www.ops/scrtec/india/jainism.html

V. Bibliography

Babb, L. A. 1995.

Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Banks, M. 1992.

Organizing Jainism in India and England . Oxford, England:Clarendon Press.

Dundas, Paul. 1992.

The Jains . New York. RoutLedge.

Folkert, Kendall W. and John E. Cort. 1997.

"Jainism," in A New Handbook of Living Religions . John R. Hinnells, ed., Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers. pp. 340-368.

Jain, Muni. 1975.

Jaina Sects and Schools. Concept Publishing. Delhi.

Jaini, P.S. 1991.

Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Jash, Pranabananda. 1989.

Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. New Delhi.

Kalghatgi, T.G. 1976.

Jainism - A Study. University of Mysore.

Marathe, M.P. 1984.

Studies in Jainism. I.P.Q. Publications. Ganeshkhind, India.

Padmanabh, S. 1991.

Genderand Salvation. Dehli. Munshiram.

Shah, Natubhai. 1998.

Jainism: The World of Conquerors. Sussex Academic Press. Portland.

Stevenson, J. 1972.

The Kalpa Sutra and Nava Tattva . Varanasi. Bharat-Bharati.

Tatia, Nathmal. 1994.

Tattvartha Sutra: That Which Is. HarperCollins.

Tatia, Nathmal. 1988.

Lectures on Jainism. University of Madras.

VI. References

Dundas, Paul. The Jains. New York: Routledge, 1992. p.13.
Monius, Anne E. Lectures for RELH 314, The Jain Tradition. Spring Semester 2000.
Stevenson,J. The Kalpa Sutra and Nava Tattva. Varanasi: Bharat-Bharati, 1972. p.35-39.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains. New York: Routledge, 1992. p.40-41.
Shah, Natubhai. Jainism. The World of Conquerors. Sussex Academc Press. 1998. p.11-19.
Jash, Pranabanabda. Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Dehli. 1989. p.18.
Jash, Pranabanabsa. Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India. Mushiram Manoharlal publishers, New Dehli.1989. p.31-31.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains. New York: Routledge, 1992. p.80.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains. New York: Routledge, 1992. p.83.
Shah, Natubhai. Jainsm. The World of Conquerors. Sussex Academic Press, 1998. p6.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains. NewYork: Routledge, 1992. p.49.
Jain, Muni. Jaina Sects and Schools. Concept Publishing, Delhi. 1975. p.44-45.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains. NewYork: Routledge, 1992. p44.
Padmanabh, S.J. Gender andSalvation Delhi: Munshiram, 1991. p.7.
Jash, Pranabananda. Some Aspects ofJainism in Eastern India. Munshiram Manoraylal Publishers. 1989. p.22-25.

Dundas, Paul. The Jains . New York: Routledge, 1992. p.232.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains . New York: Routledge, 1992. p.211-218.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains . New York: Routledge, 1992. p.218-224.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains . New York: Routledge, 1992. p.227-232.

Created by Sarah Turner
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
University of Virginia
Spring Term, 2000
Last modified: 04/23/01