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Jainism
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Nattaputta Vardhamana-- The Axial Age
Mahavira
Lao-Tzu
Zarathustra
Confucious
Jeremiah
Plato
Siddhartha
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Overview
6th ct BCE
Reform movement breaks from
Hinduism
Probably precedes Buddhism
Est. 20-22 million Jains
Worldwide
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Origins
10,000 BCE-- 1st 22 Tirthankaras
9th ct. BCE-- 23rd Tirthankara
6th century BCE-- 24th Tirthankara
Extremely influential to the
development of Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Indian culture
Parsava
Mahavira
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Tirthankara
“Crossing Builder” or “Ford-Maker”
Forge an ideal bridge between this life and Nirvana
Stand as exemplars for others
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Jainism Today
20-22 million adherents worldwide
Less than 1/2% of India’s population
Has contributed significantly to India’s
development
Archeological evidence suggests pre-historic
origins
Concepts of Karma, Ahimsa, Moksha,
and Samsara
Contribute 24% of India’s total income tax
Most literate demographic in India
Preserve India’s oldest libraries
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Concept of History/Time
Time is cyclical and infinite
Truths become manifest,
gradually are forgotten, then
remembered over long
periods of time
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Nattaputta Vardhamana
Kshatriya (mother the
sister of a King)
2nd of two sons
Experienced the 5 Noble
Events of a Tirthankara
Miraculous conception
Miraculous birth
Austerity
Enlightenment
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Conception
Mother had 16 dreams,which according to the Kalpa
Sutra, interpreters had foretold
Either a universal monarch
Tirthankara, possessing all possible knowledge
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Birth
Celebrated by gods and men
All prisoners in the kingdom were released
Festivals of mirth and joy for 10 days
2 ascetics experienced spiritual insight
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Childhood
Extremely pious, calm, courageous
Pacified a rampaging elephant and saved villagers
Showed no fear when deceived by a malicious deity
Handsome, impressive, intelligent
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Marriage?
The sects of Jainism dispute whether he married
Digambara (sky-clad) deny that he married
Svetambara (white-clad)assert that his parents married
him off to prevent him from pursuing asceticism
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Asceticism
Renounced the world at 30
Went naked
4 months-- living beings gathered on his body causing him great pain;
meditated and achieved relief
Sinful people beat and rejected him as he walked in meditation
Lived in solitude, practiced asceticism, meditated
Avoided injury to all life, even when bitten or attacked by creatures
and other people
Neither rubbed his eyes or scratched his body
Slept a little as possible
Refused medical treatment, though rarely sick
Refused to bath or clean his teeth
Ate only rice, beans and fruit fallen from trees
Bore all hardships
Meditated for 12-13 years
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http://www.exoticindiaart.com/artimages/mahavira.jpg
Enlightenment
Attained supreme
knowledge and final
deliverance from the
bonds of pleasure
and pain
“As water does not
adhere to a copper
vessel, so sin found
no place in him”
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Enlightenment
“...in a squatting position with joined heels
exposing himself to the heat of the sun, with
the knees held high and the head low, in
deep meditation, he reached Nirvana...
(kevala)”
Omniscient, he knew all the conditions of
the world
42 years old
Jina (Conqueror); Mahavira (Great
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Religious Teacher
Dedicated rest of life to spreading his
teachings and converting disciples
“There are some sinful acts you have done
in the past, which you must now wear out by
this acute form of austerity. Thus by the
exhaustion of the force of past deeds through
penance and the non-accumulation of new
acts, you are assured of... the destruction of
Karma [necessary to attain liberation]”
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Religious Organization
First converts (11) called Gaiadharas
Four orders (organizational skills allowed Jainism to
gain a foothold in India, never established with
Buddhism)
monks (14,000 in his lifetime)
nuns (36,000)
laymen (159,000)
laywomen (358,000)
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Two Major Sects
Svetambara “White-Clad”
Most popular sect
Located in Northern India
Liberal interpretation of the Agamas
(Scriptures)
Reject the necessity of nudity (monks/
nuns wear white robes)
Allow women in the religion, monasteries
and belief that they can achieve
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Major Sects
Digambara “Sky-Clad”
Located in Southern India
Conservative reading of Scripture
Fewer Adherents
Require nudity for monks
Women are excluded
Women are considered dangerous
to the religious purity of men
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Monks and Nuns
Practice the 5 vows
3 Guptis
Control of: mind,speech, body
5 Samitis
Carefulness while: walking,
communicating, eating handling tools;
disposing of bodily waste
Eat only once per day
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Jain Laity
Jain Laypersons follow
only the first three vows
Ahimsa
Satya
Asteya
Greatest virtue:
Generosity
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Five Vows
Ahimsa “Non-injury to all life”
Satya “Truth”
Asteya “Non-Stealing”
Brahmacarya “Celibacy”
Aparigraha “Non-Possession”
Ahimsa
Goes far beyond the limited interpretation of Noninjury
Includes not harming or insulting other living
beings
Direct and Indirect forms of harm/ violence
Not entertaining violent thoughts
To respect the views of others (non-absolutism and
acceptance of multiple views)
Not the same as moral relativism where all views
are equal
Not all views are equal, but ahimsa requires
understanding and acknowledging them
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Ahimsa
Includes vegetarianism for all
adherents
Jain nuns and monks walk barefoot
and sweep the ground in front of them
The masks they wear is to prevent
saliva from falling on texts or revered
images
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pro.corbis.com, www.timeout.com
Satya
All other ethical principles derive from
Ahimsa
Each of the vows defers to ahimsa when there
is conflict
If speaking the truth will lead to violence, it is
ethical to remain silent
Generally, dishonesty is a form of violence
(violation of the truth)
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Asteya
Strict adherence to one’s own
possessions, without desire to take
another’s
Satisfaction with what one earns through
honest labor
Always give fair value for labor/ product
Never take that which is not offered
Never take things that are placed,
dropped, or forgotten by others
Never purchase cheaper things if the price
is the result of improper method
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Brahmacarya
Celibacy (complete sexual
abstinence) for Jain monks
and nuns
Monogamy
Sexual behavior must not
result in physical, emotional,
or spiritual harm
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Aparigraha
Physical and Emotional
Renunciation of property and wealth,
prior to entering monastery or convent
Owning without attachment, for
householders
Possession is an illusion
Because of impermanence, what we
own today belonged to someone else
prior and will belong to another after
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God
No creator god (soul and matter
are both eternal and uncreated)
Lesser deities exist, but on a
different plane and are unable to
interact with this world
Prayer and worship not effective
in terms of seeking divine
assistance
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Teachings of Jainism
Centers on problem of Perpetual
Reincarnation
All karma attaches to and ‘weighs
down’ the soul
Souls are bound to bodies (samsara)
because of acquired karma
Dualist: Jiva (soul) and Ajiva
(nonsoul)
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Response to Dualist Reality
Severe Asceticism= nonattachment to material world
Individual responsibility
Not all Jains can be free
from responsibilities of life
Jains who commit
themselves to asceticism
considered closest to release
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Fasting
An ascetic practice
Three Levels of Austerity
Uttam (most stringent) Renounce all worldly things
including food and water on the day of fasting and eat
only once on the eve and next day of fasting
Madhyam Food and water is not taken on the day
of the fast
Jaghanya Eat only once on the day of the fast
Most Jains fast during festivals (3x/year) and on holy
days (8th and 14th day of moon cycle)
To encourage self-control
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Spiritual Goal
To be rid of worldly life and be liberated from the cycle of
reincarnation
Individual Responsibility
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Major Concepts
Jiva (soul)
Ajiva (nonliving matter)
Punya (results of good deeds)
Pap (results of bad deeds)
Asrava (influx of karma)
Bandh (bondage of karma)
Samvar (stoppage of karma)
Nirjara (eradicating karma)
Moksha (liberation from karma)
Jiva (soul)
2 sense
1 sense
Eternal and Indestructible
Valuable
3 sense
Life
Irreplaceable and unable to be
reproduced
5 categories (1 sense souls-5 sense
souls)
Possess infinite capacity to know and
perceive reality
4 sense
5 sense
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Jiva (soul): All living beings are called Jivas. Jivas have consciousness known as the soul, which is also called the atma (soul - chetan). The soul and body are two different entities. The
soul can not be reproduced. It is described as a sort of energy which is indestructible, invisible, and shapeless. Jainism divides jivas into five categories ranging from one-sensed beings to
five-sensed beings. The body is merely a home for the soul. At the time of death, the soul leaves the body to occupy a new one. Tirthankaras have said that the soul has an infinite capacity
to know and perceive. This capacity of the soul is not experienced in its present state, because of accumulated karmas.
Ajiva
Non-soul, Non-living matter
Does not possess
consciousness
Lifeless
Material/Matter
Inert
Senseless (no pain or
pleasure)
Evil
Traps jiva
Cannot accumulate karma
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/lessons/Indianajennette2112003807/
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Ajiva (non-living matter): Anything that is not a soul is called ajiva. Ajiva does not have consciousness. Jainism divides ajiva in five broad categories: dharmastikay (medium of motion),
adharmastikay (medium of rest), akashastikay (space), pudgalastikay (matter), and kala (time).
Karma
Samvar= The process by
which the influx of karma is
stopped
Achieved by:
Observing carefulness
Control
Becoming a monk
Contemplating the 12 mental
reflections
Suffering
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Moksha
Attained when all karma has been shed
“There lived a family in a farm house. They were enjoying the
fresh cool breeze coming through the open doors and windows.
The weather suddenly changed, and a terrible dust storm set in.
Realizing it was a bad storm, they got up to close the doors and
windows. By the time they could close up the house, much dust
had entered. After closing the doors and windows, they started
cleaning away the dust that had entered the house.”
--Jainworld.com
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Karma
Unique understanding
Imperceptible matter which
interacts with the soul producing
certain conditions (effects)
Physical AND Spiritual actions
produce consequences
Different Types
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Karma
Think of Karma as a kind of barrier
The more karma, the stronger the barrier and more
difficult to overcome
Can become a vicious cycle of “bad” thoughts/words/
deeds attracting more karma and creating stronger
barriers
Like the way a bad choice, repeated often, becomes
habitual
8 Types: Habits of Thinking, Speaking, and Acting
Knowledge Obscuring: Willful ignorance and resistance to truths
Perception Obscuring: Willful misperceptions and irrationality
Feeling Producing: Seeking Pleasure and Avoiding Pain
Deluding: Confusion, Forgetfulness, Lack of Clarity
Life-span determining: Habits that affect the duration of our life
Physique determining: Habits that affect our appearance
Status Determining: Habits that affect the family/status of our birth
Obstructing: Habits that prevent us from doing good or undoing bad, even
when we want to
144 Sub-Categories!!
Categories account for almost every conceivable
experience
All interactions between worldly souls and other
entities of the world are guided by these karmas
All Worldly souls are affected
Punya Karma
Comes from wholesome activities:
Providing food or other items to the
needy, charity work,
Consequence of good karma-- promotes
individual and worldly well-being
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Pap Karma
Comes from undertaking destructive
actions (cruelty, violence, disrespect,
anger, greed, arrogance, deceit, etc)
The consequence of bad karma-contributes to individual and worldly
suffering
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Asrava Karma
The attraction of karma particles to
the soul
As long as we remain in a state of
wrong belief, vowlessness, passions,
and negligence, our unconscious/
subconscious activity will draw
karma
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Bandh Karma
The actual binding of karma particles to
the soul, occurs when we react to any
situation with a sense of attachment or
aversion
The way we respond to any given situation
affects the process of karma binding
Nirjara Karma
Nirjara-- the process by which we
shed karmic particles
Passive or Active efforts
We can passively wait for karma to
mature and its results to manifest
We can actively assist karma to
mature through penance, asking
forgiveness, meditation, asceticism
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Sources of Karma
The passions -- internal desires
Passions of Hatred: Anger and Ego
Attachment (affinity or hostility): Deceit and Greed
Each of these four passions are further sub-divided into:
Extremely severe; Severe; Moderate; and Slight
http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/user_files/12904/Image/TeenAnger.jpg
redwing.hutman.net
http://www.nd.edu/%7Elumen/2005_07/images/self_deception_lumen.gif forum.nin.com
Wrong Belief
One-sided -- seeing only one
perspective
Perverted--misperception
Skeptical--doubt about the soul’s
actions
Negligence--Lack of moral
discernment
Egalitarian-- Believing all opinions
and perspectives are equally true
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Sallekhana
Uniquely Jain
Voluntary fast unto death (family must
agree)
Achieve death with dignity and
dispassion
Considered extremely holy, spiritual,
creditable
Can take as long as 12 years with
gradual reduction of food and water
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Moksha
The people in the house= jivas
The house= ajiva
Enjoying the cool breeze= good karma
Sand storm= bad karma
Influx of dust through the open doors/windows= the process by which karma clings to
the soul
The accumulation of dust= Bondage of karma to the soul
Closing the door and windows= Stopping the flow of karma
The cleaned house= moksha, shedding all karma particles from the soul
Jain Festivals
Celebrate events in the lives of the Tirthankaras
Paijusana
Most Popular
Year End (August/September)
8 Days during which all Jain laity are encouraged to live as monks for
at least one 24 hour period
Divali/ Diwali
Appropriate of Hindu Holy Day for Worship of Kali
Light lamps to commemorate the release of the Mahavira