(RNS) — On April 14, Jains will celebrate the birth anniversary of Vardhaman Mahavir, founder of what is today the smallest of India’s six major religious groups — after Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, ...
India is home to a wide range of religious traditions, which is evident in the blend of beliefs held by its people – some of which cross religious lines. For instance, not only do most Hindus and ...
Jainism, Indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence (ahimsa, literally ‘non-injury’) to all living creatures. Along with Hinduism and Buddhism, Jainism is one of the three ancient religious traditions and an integral part of South Asian belief and practice.
The Jain religion includes more than just tolerance, non-violence, and reincarnation—and Jains desperately need to hear the gospel.
Jains are to become unattached to persons, places, things, or attitudes. We have already seen in Hinduism how this becomes the goal of the person who moves into the hermit stage of life, but Jains, especially in the ascetic life, take this as far as they can. Attachment causes bondage to the material world, which is bad and is to be left behind.
The Jain faith revolves around the notion of the soul – jīva. The ultimate objective of the Jain religion is for the soul to attain self-realisation, which is liberation. The soul is a concept found in many religions but Jain beliefs about the soul or self are very distinctive. In Jain cosmology the soul is a pure substance with: consciousness – caitanya energy – vīrya bliss – sukha ...