Rites/Rituals/Ceremonies
•Communion with the
Gods/Holy Ones
•Birth
•Rites of
Passage/Puberty
Rights
•Baptism
•Marriage Rites
•Death Rites
Prepared by Eddie STUDENT for MW 11:00 Philosophy
Communion with the Gods & Holy
Ones
The Jains commune with their deities by
worshiping in temples, meditating, and
reciting mantras.
 The Jains worship idols of Jinas, or “Spiritual
Victors”. The most important of these Jinas
are the Tirthankaras, or “Ford-Makers”, the 24
founders of Jainism.
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Worship of the Jinas
The Jains worship publicly in stone temples. They
worship by meditating, chanting mantras, and by
gazing at and anointing the 24 images of the
Tirthankaras, the “Ford Makers”. They also pay
homage to all Jinas, or “spiritual victors”.
Meditations & Mantras
• Meditation (samayika)
is an integral part of
Jainism. During
meditation and
worship, Jains often
recite mantras or
prayers.
• The most
fundamental of the
Jain mantras is the
Navkar Mantra.
The Navkar Mantra
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Namo Arihantanum: I bow down to Arihanta
Namo Siddhanam: I bow down to Siddha
Namo Ayariyanam: I bow down to Acharya
Namo Uvajjhayanam: I bow down to Upadhyaya
Namo Loe Savva-sahunam: I bow down to Sadhu & Sadhvi.
Eso Panch Namokaro: These five bowing downs,
Savva-pavappanasano: Destroy all the sins,
Manglanach Savvesim: Amongst all that is auspicious,
Padhamam Havei Mangalam: This Navkar Mantra is the
foremost.
Ahisma
•Ahisma is the practice
of total non-violence.
•A major principle of
Jainism is communion
with one’s
environment, or
oneness with one’s
surroundings; this is
achieved through
Ahisma.
•Ahisma is usually
symbolized by a hand
with the palm facing
out, which means
“stop”.
Vegetarians
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Because of Ahisma, Jains do not believe in harming living
beings, which all have souls. This means that they do not eat
meat, and many of them do not eat vegetables either.
The strictest of the Jains eat only fruits, nuts, and milk,
which are acceptable because they are the byproducts of
livings beings, not the actual beings themselves.
Karma
• Karma is the natural moral law of the universe, in which
every good or bad action has a corresponding effect on
the person doing that action.
• According to Jainism there are 2 types of Karma . Ghati
(destructive) and Aghati (non-destructive), each
containing several sub-categories.
• The goal of Jainism is to liberate one’s soul, to become a
Jina (spiritual victor). To become a Jina, one must
escape Karma by leading an ascetic and intrinsically pure
life.
Birth
• There are a few simple ritual that are performed
after the birth of a child
• Priyodhbhav Sanskar: ten days of cleansing, during
which no rituals are performed, but mantras
may be chanted by the priests and offerings
received for the child at a temple.
• Namkaranan Sanskar: the ritual of naming the
child, performed on the 11th, 13th, or 29th after
birth. The name for a boy is selected from the
1008 Jinasahasranam, and for girls chosen from
the names of the woman in the Puranas.
Rites of Passage/Puberty Rites
• The rites of passage/puberty rites (concerning
the laity) that Jains practice are not strictly
practices of Jainism. Rather they are often the
local Hindu customs. These customs are
acceptable as long as the do not violate the
ethics of Jainism.
Monks and Nuns
• Monks and nuns must
base their lives on
mahavrats, or the
“great vows”. These
include:
• Not injuring any life
forms, Ahisma
• Truthfulness, Satya
• Not stealing, Asteya
• Celibacy,
Brahmachanga
• Not accepting personal
possessions,
Aparigraha
Baptism
• The Jains do not practice baptism.
However, they do have rules that must
be followed when using water.
• Water should be filtered before use to
prevent harm to living creatures that
may be in the water
• Some stricter (more spiritual) Jains do
not bathe and only use water as
necessary
Marriage Rituals
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Marriage is considered a
social contract, not a
religious practice. The
wedding ceremony may be
simple or very elaborate.
The rituals performed
around the time of
marriage vary from one
community to another, but
are numerous and may
include some of the
following:
Marriage Rituals
Pre-Wedding Vagdana: Parents declare intended marriage
Laghana Lekhan: marriage negotiation finalized
Sagai and Lagna Patrika Vachan: engagement
ceremonies/rituals
Matruka and Kulkar Sthapan: gods and goddesses are invoked
to bless the couple
 Wedding Ceremony –
Ghudhchadi: groom’s ritual on the day before the wedding
Vara Ghoda: the groom’s procession to the wedding
Torana Vidhi: welcoming ceremony at the wedding
Paraspara Mukh Avalokana: bride and groom look at each other
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Marriage Rituals
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Hasta Melap: joining ceremony, priest’s words to the couple
Toran Pratishtha: the goddess Lakshmi is honored
Vedi Pratishtha: the gods of Kshetras are honored
Agni Sthapan: sacred fire ritual; offerings to the fire god
Abisheka: couple’s heads are anointed with water
Gotrachar: lineages of the couple are pronounced
Granthi Bandhan: ceremonial tying of the couple together
Agni Pradakshina: the couple circles the sacred fire four times
while reciting a different mantra each time around
Kanyadaan: before the last stage of Agni Pradakshina, the
father presents the bride to the groom
Marriage Rituals
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Vakshepa: “Lord Adinath was married with this ceremony…”
Second Abisheka: priest wishes the couple well
Kar-mochan: couple are released, ceremony is ended
Post Wedding –
Ashirvada: the elders bless the couple
Reception: wedding feast
Sva Graha Aagamana: bride goes to her new home.
Jina Grahe Dhan Arpana: alms are given at a Jain temple in
thankfulness to the gods
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Death Rites
• When a person dies, he or she is cremated as
soon as possible.
• The body is placed on a bier and taken to a place
where it can be burned without harming any
living beings.
• The body is taken from the bier and covered with
wood. The body is covered with ghee, camphor,
and sandalwood powder. The last rites are
performed by the son of the deceased.
• The son circles the pyre 3 times while sprinkling
water on the body. While chanting the Namokar
Mantra, he lights the pyre.
• After a while, milk is poured over the scorched
area and the remains are collected in bags.
• The remains are placed in hole and sprinkled with
salt. The hole is covered and the rituals are over.
Reincarnation
• As soon as a person (or any living being) dies, his or
her soul is immediately reborn in another life form.
• If one’s spirituality is such that it should require
punishment, a person may be required to spend time
in one of seven hells. Unlike most views of hell, each
stage of hell becomes increasingly colder. One’s stay
in hell is not eternal; once the punishment is
sufficient, a person’s soul will be reborn into another
life form.
• If people can escape all karma (good and bad), they
will be reborn as a Siddhas, or liberated souls, in the
highest level of heaven, where they will be eternally
happy and separate from the world.
Major Tenets
• Everything is eternal; there is no allpowerful “God” that has created the
world.
• When a living being dies, it is
reincarnated.
• All living beings have souls.
• The 3 gems.
• Reverence for the deities (Siddhas,
Jinas, and the 24 Tirthankaras).
• Vegetarianism, or Fruitarianism.
• The great vows, the Mahavrats.
The Sign of Jainism
• This is the sign of Jainism. Each
part of the sign symbolizes an
important principle or belief of
Jainism.
• This symbol was adopted by all
the sects of Jainism in honor of
the 2500th anniversary of Lord
Mahavira’s spiritual liberation.
How to Become a Jain
• Jainism is a distinctly Indian religion,
although anyone who is willing to meet
their strict requirements can become a Jain.
• The most fundamental belief of Jainism is
Ahisma, complete non-violence toward all
living beings. No other religion takes the
principle of non-violence to the extent that
the Jains do.
Requirements
All Jains must:
• Seek peace with their surroundings and be as
non-violent as possible, Ahisma.
• Be truthful in everything, Satya.
• Deal honestly with people, they must not steal,
Asteya.
• Practice the 3 Gems:
• Right faith, right conduct, right knowledge. The
most important of these is faith, after it is
obtained the others will follow.
Basic Philosophy of Jainism
• Jainism is more than
meeting certain criteria, it
is epitomizing certain
philosophies.
• Pure Darshan: pure vision
• Pure Gyan: pure
reason/knowledge
• Pure Charitra: pure
character
Jainism: The Indian Religion
Nearly all the
people who practice
Jainism live in
India. The traditions
and culture behind
Jainism are
distinctly Indian.
However, there are
small groups of
followers in the U.S.
and U.K.
Age Of Reason
• For Jains, salvation is an ongoing process of asceticism,
renewal, and holy living.
• Because Jains do not “get saved” in the way that people
of other religions do, they do not have an age of
reasoning.
• If a very wise person is reincarnated as a baby person,
that child may show wisdom and spirituality far beyond
his or her years.
• Instruction in the ways of pure living is begun at an
early age, usually as soon as the child is able to
comprehend language.
• If a child dies, like any other living being, it is
reincarnated immediately.
Is Jainism Growing?
There are an estimated 4 million Jains in the
world.
 Jainism is not a fast growing religion,
although there has been a small increase in
adherents in the U. S. and U. K. in the last 40
years.
 Jains do not actively seek to convert others to
Jainism, rather they are peaceful and
accepting towards all peoples and religions.
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Jainism,
the way of
Ahisma
By Eddie Gregg
10/06
Sources
www.jainworld.com
www.britannica.com
www.religionfacts.com
www.cs.colostate.edu
www.angelfire.com
www.indianmirror.com
www.weddingguru.com
www.bbc.co.uk
www.kamat.com
www.navkarmantra.com
www.santan.org
Special thanks to www.google.com