The jinas are considered more respectable than the gods. The rituals are mostly formed by the writings of aagam, the sacred book of jain religion. The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war. It has long been my belief that the best way to learn about the beliefs of any religion is through its own source texts.
In these three ways the indic notion of dharma is very different from the notion of religion. The goal of life in jainism is to reach liberation by a life of purification, discipline, and nonviolence as taught by the tirthankaras. Jainism ritual practices and religious institutions britannica. Why fasting kills a jain girl and the whole religion the. Hence, the jain religion does not have one sacred book.
The rituals are not monotonous, senseless activities, but each one has deep meaning behind. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. As i recall, there may be a sentence or two of jain scripture in the entire book. Christians worship in churches and their spiritual leaders are called priests. Instead they have a collection of holy writings and scriptures. Hence, the jain religion does not have one sacred book like the bible or koran, but. The jain literature which was complied by ganadharas and srutkevlis is known as agam literature. The jainism has its own scriptures called agamas or srutas, which are directly derived from the tirthankaras. The serious jain layman fast, more or less completely, and undertake other religious practices on many auspicious days throughout the year. Preparation for the final journey is one area where we, as a community are woefully unprepared. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse.
Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. Hence jains do not have one god, but jain gods are innumerable and their number is continuously increasing as. The present book is one of the best and stimulating books ever written by scholars on jainism. Temple worship is mentioned in early texts that describe gods paying. What are the major rituals, holy days, garments, ceremonies and. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. An additional popular celebration is the holy day of mahavira jayanti. I grant that they are goodhearted, that they are good husbands and often fathers of large families, but generally they are very ignorant, especially of the history of civilisation and of the philosophy of religion of india. But jainism is different than buddhism in its ascetic beliefs. They are believed to have been verbally transmitted by the oral tradition from one generation to the next, much like the ancient buddhist and hindu texts. The rites and rituals change with these four factors called dravya, kshetra, kala and bhava in.
In all cultures the rites and rituals are performed based on availability of resources, the region, historical time, and what the society considers to be most appropriate. Jainism ritual practices and religious institutions. The other holy book for the jewish religion is the talmud which includes the mishnah, which means repetition or study and the gemara, which means addition or completion. Rituals are important to the jain faith because it is through them that beliefs and values are expressed. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred. Jain fundamentals jain rituals jain scriptures jain compassion. Jainworld is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of jain tradition of wisdom, compassion, equality, brotherhood, universal wellbeing and spirituality. Jains trace their history through twentyfour tirthankara and revere rishabhanatha as the first tirthankara in the present timecycle. Rituals differ by sect, but generally include fasts, devotional worship, and meditation.
Lord mahavir, popularly regarded as the founder of jainism, was the last of the tirthankars who flourished from 599 to 527 b. The rites and rituals make them charming and attractive. The ultimate ritual is sallekhana, a religious death. Basic concepts of jainism and its applications can be learned from chandrakantbhais easy and unique teaching skills and indepth knowledge of the subject. Unlike most common monotheistic religions, jainism does not have one holy book that characterizes their faith. Likewise, to take the bath in the sacred water of the ganga is not treated as the merit or punya. We must not blame them too severely, because their education is too narrow to make them broadminded.
Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or. An introduction, is a thoroughly researched overview of the jain tradition, a religion and set of philosophical constructs that have influenced indian thought for. According to jain tradition, lord rishabh was the first interpreter of ahinsa nonviolence. Consecration rituals pratiha specially designed to convert statues of stone, metal, wood, or. Rituals include obligations followed by jains and various forms of idol worships.
History of jainism is the history of a religion founded in ancient india. Jain time is cyclical, moving through stages in which dharma grows progressively weaker and. Shah jain study center of north carolina raleigh 401 farmstead drive, cary nc 275115631 9194690956 and fax email. Religion 1002 sikhism and jainism flashcards quizlet. Rituals, stories, and the virtues of jain wifehood m. Karya obligations which are followed and kriya worships which are performed. Instead they have a body of holy writings or scriptures. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Jainism has prehistoric origins dating before 3000 bc, and before the beginning of indoaryan culture. Christianity is the worlds biggest religion, with about 2. So he could be called a reformer of the jain religion or rejunevator of the faith which was already. The philosophy cannot last unless it has support of conduct. But the religious jains will do everything possible to prevent hurting any being. Scripture is the synonym of the holy text, which consists of religious dogmas, and assertions of an authentic authority apta purusa.
While this religion emphasizes nonviolence, which could, in part, be understood as inaction, it also stresses asceticism, which is often marked by certain religious behaviors. By birth, im jainand trying to be jain by actand i appreciate many historical perspective on jainism. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Some artifacts found in the indus valley civilization have been suggested as a link to ancient jain culture, but this is highly speculative and a subjective interpretation. Jainism is one of the most ancient religions that originated in eastern india and it was founded around the 6th century. The religious thoughts are shaped by its philosophy. Holy drops is a treasure for all religious and spiritual information. Jain religion the true nature of a substance is a religion any activities of body, mind and speech. Along with hinduism and buddhism, jainism is one of the three most ancient indian religious traditions still in existence and an. Each of the three jain sects may celebrate slightly different festivals so not all jains will celebrate every holiday.
This ritual can vary from giving up food and drink entirely to only giving up favourite foods. Jains often gather in temples to hear others read the teachings of mahavira and there are parades through the streets. Even religious scriptures were considered possessions and therefore knowledge. Jainism is a transtheistic religion, and jains trace their. This sutra explains the daily rituals the monks and nuns have to perform. Initiation into renunciant orders is effected by the elaborate diksha ritual.
Jainism traditionally known as jain dharma, is an ancient indian. The word jain is taken from the word jina, which means getting victory over thy self and the peripheral world. Jains rituals can be separated broadly in two parts. Followers of jainism are called jains, a word derived from the sanskrit word jina victor referring to the path of victory in crossing over lifes stream of rebirths by destroying karma through an ethical and spiritual life. List of world religions and founders, religious books. These sutras are collectively known as agams or agam sutras, the sacred books of the. Devotees also recite jain texts, particularly the life stories of the tirthankaras. Unlike monotheistic traditions, the jains do not have a unique holy book that characterises their faith. Hence, etymologically religion is meant to gather a community to read the holy book and to have reverence for the holy god. Many jains now worship hindu gods and celebrate hindu festivals.
Consecration rituals in south asia reading religion. These texts are collectively known as agams, the sacred books of the jain religion. Shvetambara monks are allowed to retain a few possessions such as a robe, an alms bowl, a whisk broom, and a mukhavastrika a piece of cloth held over the mouth to protect against the ingestion of small insects, which are presented by a senior monk at the time of initiation. It is based on the teachings of jesus christ who lived on the holy land 2000 years ago. Jainism facts, worksheets, history, beliefs, customs. This is great book not only for spiritual reading but also for environmental understanding. Religion 1002 sikhism and jainism study guide by bmcdaniel128 includes 66 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all. The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all jains, especially the jina mahavira. These codes are heart of religion and keep it alive.
Lord mahavirs preaching was methodically compiled by his followers into many texts. Jains dont regard mahavira as the founder of their religion, so his words arent of importance because he said them, but. This book presents a detailed fieldworkbased study of the ancient indian religion of jainism. Jain rituals and ceremonies introduction each religion has its own codes of conducts. This website is for the users who want to learn the basic concepts of jain religion. Also, as mentioned in the book, jainism is scientific religion covering physics, math and other subjects. Jainism jainism ritual practices and religious institutions. Jain rituals center around sacred images and mantras. The indian religion of jainism, whose central tenet involves nonviolence to all creatures, is one of the worlds oldest and leastunderstood faiths. Hence, the jain religion does not have one sacred book like the bible or koran, but it has many books complied by many followers.
As society changed, the jews found that the torah needed to be updated from its original agricultural emphasis. The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are the canonical literature the scriptures of svetambara jainism. The jain code of conduct is quite similar to that which is found in hindu dharmasashtra, manusmriti and other law books of brahmans. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence ahimsa, literally noninjury to all living creatures. This unique focus on the book and god makes a religion conclusive, exclusionary and separative. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. Jainism religion bhagwan mahavir jain symbol belief.
It is considered holy because of all the tirthankaras are believed to obtain nirvana while meditating together on the top of the mountain. Among the various iconocentric traditions within south asia, the devotees worship is addressed to the deity as image and to the deity whose power is in the image 6, cf. Jainism basic information on history, beliefs, etc. This day honors the birthday of mahavira, an important figure in jainism. Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for todays church and ministry leaders, like you. The difference in the rituals of practitioners of the two religions would be that the jains do not give any importance to bathing in holy water. Drawing on field research in northern gujarat and on the study of both ancient sanskrit and prakrit and m. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. The jain dharma existed even before the emergence of the vedas and the puranas which are said to be ancient. Ironically, lord mahavira was of a scientific mind and most of the times his teachings contradict the. Both have the same basic teachings and principles of jainism, but differ in beliefs regarding the life of mahavira, spiritual roles, status of women, wearing of clothes for monks, rituals, and texts. Jain holidays and festivals largely revolve around important events such as births and deaths in the lives of the thirthnkaras, or saints.
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