The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all jains, especially the jina mahavira. Lord mahavir, popularly regarded as the founder of jainism, was the last of the tirthankars who flourished from 599 to 527 b. History and contemporary information provide evidence of competition and quarrels between the sects over the management of individual sites. Its philosophy and practice relies mainly on selfeffort in progressing the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine consciousness. Ultimate goal of life is eternal release from karma. All the substances change or modify their forms continuously. Here is a selection of the most pertinent and the best of these, which succeed in presenting a comprehensive picture of its concepts, practices of the holy order and laity, and life in general. Sanskrit verse from shivpuran lord rishabhdev jineshwar first tirthankar the omniscient and the all pervasive incarnated himself on the magnificent kailas ashtapad mountain. Religion 1002 sikhism and jainism flashcards quizlet. It is one of the oldest living religions of india, purely indigenous in origin, and represents that current of ancient indian culture which was.
Syadvada is intended to ontological problems as well has a bearing upon mans psychological and holy life. In principle jain holy places are sacred for all the jains. J105 prabhu datta shastri, the jain doctrine of syadvada with a new pragmatic background, sb 2, 93101. Since gautama buddha, founder of buddhism, belonged to the same region of magadha as mahavira the 24th tirthankar of jainism, and because both were contemporaries, it was assumed erroneously that jainism was contemporary of buddhism or was an off. Each inquiring mind tries to gain an insight into the working of the universe. It is found in the front side of the temple, having religious importance with an.
The supreme importance of the doctrine of karma lies in providing a rational and satisfying explanation to the apparently inexplicable phenomena. Vegetarianism and other nonviolent practices and rituals of jains flow from the principle of ahimsa. In jainism it has special significance, as on this day in 527 bce according to svetambara tradition that mahavira gave his last teachings and attained ultimate liberation. There were, in the past, attempts made to merge the concepts of hindu gods and the tirthankara of jainism. All sects agree that teaching was first transmitted orally, however, the two main sects of jainism, svetambara and digambara disagree on which scriptures are authoritative, or most important. The jain theory of anekantavada makes its theory of karma, asceticism and salvation incoherent, according to nyaya texts. Their texts have never presented a theory for holy war. Syadvada or saptabhangi naya is the most important part of jaina logic. Syadvada recommends the expression of anekanta by prefixing the epithet syad. This point is proved by what is said in the following quotes from oldest hindu holy books that jainism existed before vedas were composed. A glance at its contents will reveal the fact that glasenapp has covered almost all the salient features of jainism. Tattvarthasutra aspects of reality in jainism, through the.
The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are the canonical literature the scriptures of svetambara jainism mahaviras disciples compiled his. The present book is one of the best and stimulating books ever written by scholars on jainism. For discussion of philosophies associated with the major religious. Religions free fulltext anekantavada and dialogic identity. This article on ancient india covers the origin of hinduism, buddhism and jainism. Ahinsa ahinsa, ahinsa, ahinsa, avihinsa in jainism is a fundamental principle forming the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. In fact, syadvada is the theory of the relativity of knowledge. Within sikhism, the holy book is called the sri guru granth sahib. This doctrine brings out the entirety of approach of the jain philosophers to human problems. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras.
Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. Mahaviras disciples compiled his words into texts or sutras, and memorised them to pass on to future generations. Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Anekanta part1 anekanta part2 antiquity of jainism. Jainism is a religion and philosophy native to india founded in. Jainism believes that universe and all its substances or entities are eternal.
Jains will gather in temples to hear readings of the teachings of mahavira. Scripture is the synonym of the holy text, which consists of religious dogmas, and assertions of an authentic authority apta. The first five types of dravyas are called astikayas those exist and have different pradesas or areas like the body and the last is named anastikaya. Jainism is the religion professed by the jains, so called because they follow the system expounded and preached by the jina. Brahminical scriptures have formulated four life stages. Holy book and place of worship of sikhism,jainism, buddhism. The jinas walked the path of rational perception, knowledge, conduct and penance in order to attain liberation from the constricting bondage of karmas. Every object exists in relation of its form substance, scope and time and not object exists in relation to the form substance, scope and time of any other object. Avanindra, ahamindra, rashmi, ranjana and ranita along with numerous sons and daughters of my friends were greatly influenced by the rational concepts of the jain religion included in the circular. Jainism pronounced, also called jain dharma is an ancient dharmic religion from india that prescribes a path of nonviolence for all forms of living beings in this world. Find here a list of selected books on the various aspects of jainism, jain history, jaina philosophy, practices, values and beliefs, thirthankaras, life and teachings of mahavira and jaina tradition. Essays in this volume offer fesh insights into jain principles of ahimsa and. While these two divisions of jainism are in broad agreement about the main teachings and practices of the. Special commentaries called niryuktis and one great commentary, mahabhashya, written by jain monks are also considered cannonical literature.
The reference materials for the same are ncert texts. Holy days, festivals and rituals fasting is the very imporatant part of the jains tradition. In jainism, however, syadvada and anekanta is not a theory of uncertainty, doubt or. The golden book of jainism humanitys oldest religion of non. The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war. The syadvada anekantavada is a gem, to say the least. Unlike monotheistic traditions, the jains do not have a unique holy book that characterises their faith.
Its philosophy and practice relies mainly on selfeffort in progressing the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine. So he could be called a reformer of the jain religion or rejunevator of the faith which was already and had a long tradition. It was written in the jain prakrit and includes the navkar mantra. The svetambaras believe that the collection of 32 or 45, the number is disputed agamas holy scriptures are the first and foremost of all holy texts. The universe is not for man alone, but is a theater of evolution for all living beings. Mar 27, 2011 syadvada is the jaina theory of relativity. Universe runs own its own accord by its own cosmic laws. Fundamental beliefs of jainism the soul is bounded by karma from the beginning of time the principles governing the successions of life cycles birth, life, and death is karma. It is one of the oldest living religions of india, purely indigenous in origin, and represents that current of ancient indian culture which was distinct from and independent of the brahmanical.
Syadvada as the epistemological key to the jaina middle way metaphysics of. The oldest canonical books of jainism, apart from some mythological additions and evident exaggerations, contain the following important notes on the life of their last prophet. Moreover, the doctrine of syadvada has supplied the philosopher with cosmopolitanism of thought convincing him that truth is not anybodys monopoly with tariff walls of denominational religions and it has again supplied the religious aspirant with intellectual toleration which is quite on par with ahimsa for which jainism has eminently stood. All judgments are conditional, holding good only in. This festival celebrates the day of mahaviras birth. Anekantvada and syadvada continued anekantvada it is a doctrine of multifacetedness of reality it is a philosophy or doctrine of nonabsolutism it explains reality metaphysically syadvada it is a theory of conditional predication it is a theory of relativity of propositions or judgments it explains reality epistemologically.
Solutions there are and are of many types political including diplomatic, economic, religious etc. Any soul which has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being. Jainism shares the soteriological orientation of the vedic systems and. The oldest inscription in maharashtra is a 2ndcentury bc jain inscription in a cave near pale village in the pune district. The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are the canonical literature the scriptures of svetambara jainism. Jainism dharmic religions wiki fandom powered by wikia.
Guru is a sanskrit word for teacher, and within sikhism it is the title given to the 10 spiritual leaders of sikhism dating from 1469 ad to 1708 ad as well as the sri guru granth. Jainism traditionally known as jain dharma, is an ancient indian religion. The syadvadaanekantavada is a gem, to say the least. The golden book of jainism humanitys oldest religion of. Jain texts such as acaranga sutra and tattvarthasutra state that one must. The marathi jainism is basically originated from maharashtra and flourished here. There are many texts in jainism including fortyone sutras, called angas, which teach the concepts, philosophy and code of conduct for jains.
The jain literature which was complied by ganadharas and srutkevlis is known as agam literature. In practice, some places are definitely of more importance to svetambaras than to digambaras and vice versa, and these are managed by institutions affiliated to one sect or the other. The scriptures are very many, which extended to poetry, drams, etc. While strong religious identity is often associated with violence, jainism, one. Agam literature consists of many texts, which are the sacred books of. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse. Mar 15, 2017 hi i am not biased on any traditions at all in fact, i have a problem with vedanta because it bases its whole premise on the fact that vedas are eternal and infallible which i dont agree with all the holy books in the world are anthology or collection of books written by various authors so, some are wise and some are not. Religion 1002 sikhism and jainism study guide by bmcdaniel128 includes 66 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. Ahimsa paramo dharmah noninjury is the highest religion. Mitra, knowledge and conduct in jaina scriptures, jaina 3, 1937, 6773. Instead they have a body of holy writings or scriptures. Jain thinkers too have sought answers to lifes eternal faqs.
In his article, what i like about jainism, ahamindra wrote, i do not think that jainism says that we should accede to all the old ideas. Jainism is a religion and philosophy native to india founded in about the 6th century bc by the sage mahavira. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. Antiquity of jainism professor mahavir saran jain lord mahavira is not the founder of jainism. It can be compared with einsteins theory of relativity, which is based on the principle that all motion is relative, regarding spacetime as a fourth dimension. Jainism is an ancient religion that is rooted in the philosophy that teaches.
Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. Images of mahavira are paraded through the streets with much pomp and ceremony. The vaisheshika and shaivism school scholar vyomashiva criticized the anekantavada doctrine because, according to him, it makes all moral life and spiritual pursuits for moksha meaningless. It is considered to be much more than a book, it is deemed to be the living guru of the sikhs. The jain theory of syadvada is manifested in the process of saptabhangi. The development of anekantavada also encouraged the development of the dialectics of syadvada conditioned viewpoints and nayavada partial viewpoints. While the majority of pilgrimage places in india are sacred to the followers of hinduism, there are numerous holy sites of other religions such as jainism, buddhism and islam.
On divali parents will often give sweets to their children, and lamps are lit all over india. Syadvada jainism britannica encyclopedia britannica. Vardhamana was the younger son of siddhartha a nobleman who belonged to the kshatriya race, called in sanskrit jnati or jnata, in prakrit naya, and, according to. Tattvarthasutra aspects of reality in jainism, through. For historical coverage of western philosophy, see western philosophy. Within the doctrine of jainism, there exist many metaphysical concepts which are not known in hinduism, some of which are dharma and adharma tattva which are seen as substances within the jain metaphysical system, gunasthanas and lesyas. Our intention behind our actions of body, mind, and speech bind us with karma. The term ahinsa means nonviolence, noninjury and absence of desire to harm any life forms.
The epistemological concepts of anekantavada and syadvada are not found in the hindu system. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. About the book to the rational person, life is an unceasing quest for the ultimate truth. Doctrines of jainism the doctrine of karma importance of the doctrine the doctrine of karma occupies a more significant position in the jaina philosophy than it does in the other systems of philosophy. Thus one finds in the jain texts, deliberative exhortations on any subject in all its facts. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred. The cosmography of hindus resembles that of the jains and there are similar names of heavenly gods within these systems.
Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. In india, they share this feature with the buddhists. Dravya in jainism is of six kinds, namely, jiva soul, ajiva nonsoul, dharma principle of motion, adharma principle of rest, akasa space, and kala time. Hi i am not biased on any traditions at all in fact, i have a problem with vedanta because it bases its whole premise on the fact that vedas are eternal and infallible which i dont agree with all the holy books in the world are anthology or collection of books written by various authors so, some are wise and some are not. According to karl potter, the jain anekantavada doctrine emerged in a milieu that included buddhists and hindus in ancient and medieval india. Hindus are in a similar position, even though they have the vedas, which can be considered the ultimate source of teaching. History, society, philosophy and practice agustin paniker on. Here is a selection of the most pertinent and the best of these, which succeed in presenting a comprehensive picture of its concepts, practices of the holy order and laity, and life in. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. Jainworld is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of jain tradition of wisdom, compassion, equality, brotherhood, universal wellbeing and spirituality. In a few centuries after mahavirs nirvana, jain religious order sangha grew more and more. The aim of existence is to attain through the triratna of 1.
664 5 1283 314 930 177 207 124 1087 336 331 1006 66 9 822 885 6 923 1234 662 366 1355 1371 682 1283 795 1106 685 1369 275 103 601 170 399 999 37 1235 1483 69