Jainism: To Do No Harm
WHAP/Napp
“FOR over a thousand years, Sravanabelgola, in south India, has been one of the
major centers of a demanding and little-known religion, that of the Jain. As ancient
as Buddhism -- Mahavira, the founder, was a sixth-century B.C. contemporary of
Gautama -- Jainism still has from three to four million believers who make up in
peace-loving intensity what they lack in numbers.
…From time to time, devotees amble past: dressed entirely in white, the color of
purity, they wear veils over mouth and nose to avoid accidentally killing insects by
breathing them in, and they carry whisks to sweep them from their path. That is
typical: Jainism is an austere creed in which the respect for life, in all its forms, is
absolute. As a result, the Jain are strict vegetarians: they will not even eat root
vegetables because insects may be killed in the digging process.
That, and the greatest possible detachment from the pleasures of life, are key
tenets of the religion: it is not surprising, therefore, that one of the most frequently
venerated Jain saints, Gomateshwara, should have been a man who reputedly stood
motionless and fasting (in the burning Indian sun) for so long that creepers grew up
his legs and body.
Happily for us, this avoidance of life's pleasures does not preclude making money.
The Jain could be neither farmers nor soldiers, so they became traders, and the
profits they made went, in part, toward creating spectacular religious monuments in
which an endless variety of decorative motifs seems to deny the solidity of the white
marble into which they are carved.” ~ New York Times, 1996
1- Who was Mahavira?
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2- Why do Jain devotees dress in white with veils over mouth and nose?
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3- The Jain term for nonviolence is ahimsa. How does the carrying of whisks
demonstrate the Jain commitment to ahimsa?
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4- What indicates that Jains are strict vegetarians?
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5- What is the key tenet of Jainism?
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6- Who was Gomateshwara and what did he do?
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7- What occupations can Jains not participate in?
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8- What occupation have Jains been particularly adept at?
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9- What have the profits Jains have made been often used for?
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10- Why do you think Jainism is a religion with only three to four million
followers?
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11- What aspect of Jainism do you find most interesting? ____________________
Notes:
I. Overview - Jainism
A. Although the majority of Indians follow the Hindu path, India has given
birth to several other religions which are not based on the Vedas
B. One of them is Jainism
C. Jainism has never condoned war or the killing of animals for any reason
D. Its major teacher is Mahavira (“The Great Hero”)
1. Mahavira was a contemporary of the Buddha
2. Like Buddha  prince of a Kshatriya clan and renounced his position
and his wealth at the age of thirty to wander as a spiritual seeker
3. After twelve years of meditation and fasting  achieved liberation
a) For thirty years until his death  spread his teachings
b) His followers came from all castes, as Jainism does not officially
acknowledge the caste system
c) But Jain teachings are not thought to have originated with Mahavira
II. The Tirthankaras (“Fordmakers”)
A. Mahavira is considered the last of the twenty-four Tirthankaras
(“Fordmakers”) of the current cosmic cycle
B. In Jain cosmology, the universe is without beginning or end
C. Eternally it passes through long cycles of progress and decline
III. A Split Within the Community
A. The Digambaras who had left during a famine and did not accept changes
that occurred in their absence  felt not authentic to Mahavira
B. The Svetambaras who had stayed near his original location
C. Major Differences
1. Digambara (“sky clad”) monks wear nothing at all, symbolizing their
innocence of shame and their non-attachment to material goods
2. Environment as clothing  damaging environment as little as possible
3. Digambara monks have only two possessions: a broom of feathers
dropped by peacocks and a gourd for drinking water
D. The Svetambaras (“white-clad”) feel that wearing a piece of white cloth does
not prevent them from attaining liberation
E. Differences Over Women
1. Digambaras believe that women do not have the strong body and
willpower needed to attain liberationmust be reborn as a man
1. Svetambaras feel that women are capable of the same spiritual
achievement as men, and that the nineteenth Tirthankara was a woman
IV. Jain Beliefs
A. The jiva – the individual’s higher consciousness, or soul – can save itself by
discovering its own perfect, unchanging nature and thus transcend the
miseries of earthly life
B. Jains, like Hindus and Buddhists, believe individuals are reborn again and
again until they free themselves from samsara, wheel of birth and death
C. One who has thus brought forth the highest in his or her being is called a
Jinni (a “winner” over the passions), from which the term Jain is derived
D. The Tirthankaras were Jinas who helped others find their way, regenerating
the community by teaching inspiring spiritual principles
E. Like Hindus and Buddhists, Jain believe that our actions influence the future
course of our current life, and of our lives to come
F. But in Jain belief, karma is actually subtle matter – minute particles that
individuals accumulate as they act and think
G. The Three Beliefs
1. Ahimsa (non-violence)
2. Aparigraha (non-attachment)
3. Anekantwad (non-absolutism)
H. Strict Vegetarians
I. Agriculture is considered harmful, for in digging into the soil one harms
minute organisms in the earth
J. Believe possessions possess individuals; their acquisition/loss drive emotions
K. Jains try to avoid anger and judgementalism, remaining open-minded by
remembering that any issue can be seen from many angles
L. Jainism is an ascetic path and thus is practiced in its fullest by monks/nuns
1. At initiation, they may pull their hair out by the roots rather than be shaved
M. However, lay people exist
N. Liberation from samsara is a result of personal effort
Two Tasks:
A. Create a graphic organizer on the origin, beliefs, and impact of Jainism in
the space below:
B. “Often quoted is a saying of Swami Vivekananda, a 19th-century saint, that
every nation has a “special genius”, and that India's is religion. Four of the
world's great religions were born here: Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, as
well as the oldest of them all and the source of the tradition from which these
swamis speak, Hinduism. The most famous leader of India's independence
struggle, Mahatma (“Great soul”) Gandhi, was as much concerned with
India's spiritual well-being as with its political liberation.” ~ The Economist
Do you agree or disagree with Swami Vivekananda’s point of view? Explain your
answer.
Strayer Question:
 What is the difference between the Digambara and Svetambara?
 Compare and contrast Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
1. Mahavira who is considered
6. Jains avoid accumulating
Jainism’s major teacher, was a
negative karma by
contemporary of
(A) Working at harmless
(A) Abraham
professions
(B) Buddha
(B) Building bird hospitals
(C) Jesus
(C) Being strict vegetarians
(D) Muhammad
(D) Any of these
2. The group of Jain monks who left
northern India to avoid a
prophesied famine in the third
century BCE later became known
as the
(A) Digambaras
(B) Svetambaras
(C) Hindus
(D) Buddhists
7. Being attached to other humans
and to one's possessions is a
negative attribute according to
Jains. Avoiding these attachments
is the Jain principle known as
(A) Aparigraha
(B) Ahimsa
(C) Anekantwad
(D) Karma
3. Like Hindus and Buddhists, Jains
believe in the cycle of birth and
death called
(A) Karma
(B) Jiva
(C) Samsara
(D) Dharma
8. Short of liberation, this is the
highest state of life according to
Jains
(A) Human birth
(B) Birth as a bird
(C) Mammal birth
(D) Birth as a woman
4. In Jainism, the human’s soul
called the __________, can
transcend this earthly life by
recognizing its own nature.
(A) Ahimsa
(B) Jiva
(C) Karma
(D) Jina
9. According to Jain belief,
liberation from samsara comes
only through
(A) One’s own efforts
(B) Divine intervention
(C) A Tirthankara’s sacrifice
(D) Any of these
5. Why do Jains avoid eating after
night?
(A) To reserve night for prayers
(B) To avoid eating unseen
insects
Continuity and Change Thesis Statement: Jainism
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