Get unlimited access to the best stories on medium and support writers while youre at it. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. Vardhamana mahavira and doctrine of jainism history discussion. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is governed by the book. Acaranga sutra and sutrakritanga, contain a general outline of. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. Jaina canon, the sacred texts of jainism, a religion of india, whose. Agam literature consists of many texts, which are the sacred books of the jain religion. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa.
The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war. Along with hinduism and buddhism, jainism is one of the three most ancient indian religious traditions still in existence and an. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. Unlike most common monotheistic religions, jainism does not have one holy book that characterizes their faith. Journal for the academic study of religionbabbs understanding jainism reads like having coffee with a senior scholar deeply knowledgeable about the tradition sharing his firsthand experiences and relating his own individual ways of. Jainism is historically connected with the sramana tradition with which the earliest mentions of reincarnation are associated. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. He was born in kundagrama a suburb of vaisali modern muzaffarpur district in bihar in 599 b. Bc as protests against the overdeveloped ritualism of hinduism, particularly its sacrificial cults, and the authority of the veda. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred. Mahavira was the 24th and last of the tirthankaras. Feb 03, 2011 considering none of them developed a form of writing, i doubt they have a holy book.
Jainism religion bhagwan mahavir jain symbol belief. Zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. Considering none of them developed a form of writing, i doubt they have a holy book. In jainism, the soul and matter are considered eternal, uncreated and perpetual. The jain literature which was complied by ganadharas and srutkevlis is known as agam literature. Do any of the native american religions have a holy book. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence ahimsa, literally noninjury to all living creatures. Today, jainisms call to humans to live in harmony with an environment suffusedwith sentient life findsgreat appeal and resonance in the worldwide ecological and sustainable socialliving movements. Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct forms the basic teachings in jainism thats why they are called the three jewels or ratnatraya of jainism. Hinduism, buddhism, jainism, sikhism, taoism, confucianism. The holy books in hinduism are there only for guidance.
Mahavira accepted most of the religious doctrines of parsava and codified the unsystematic mass of beliefs into an organized and rigid religion. Muslims base their laws on their holy book quran and the sunnah. Daily obligations jains do not only have rituals, like meditation for example, but obligations that they must fulfil during their lives, even days to ensure that they maintain their status as a loyal. According to jainism, mans personality comprises material and spiritual natures. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. He rejected the authority of vedas and the vedic rituals. The chief aim of mahaviras teaching is the attainment of moksha or the liberation of soul from earthly bondage. The svetambara, that is, they who are clothed in whitedo not claim this doctrine, but hold it as possible that the holy ones, who clothe themselves, may also attain the highest goal. Importance assigned to five vratas prominence given to ahimsa easy. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse.
The supreme importance of the doctrine of karma lies in providing a rational and satisfying explanation to the apparently inexplicable phenomena. 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. Jainism recognised the existence of god but placed them lower than jina mahavira. Most of them are very scholarly and recount the doctrines in a clinical manner, sometimes without any insight. Do any of the native american religions have a holy book or. The videvat are religious law books laying down codes of conduct and procedures for penance. Among these five vows, nonviolence ahimsa is the cardinal principle of jainism and. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Jainism is an ecologically responsible way of life which is nonviolent in thought, action, and deed. 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 holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all jains, especially the jina mahavira.
In jainism, it is assumed its development took place in an era from which the literary documents are not available, since the basics of this doctrine were present and concluded even in the earliest documents of jains. Teachings of jainism revolves around a comprehensive knowledge about the whole nature, universe as a whole, which is termed as keval jnana. Jainism has classified all the living beings according to their senses. In both there are lot of holy books in which many are comman. List of books and articles about jainism online research. Jainism is an indian religion that emphasizes complete nonviolence and asceticism. Instead they have a collection of holy writings and scriptures. The five senses are touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing.
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. Living being with five senses humans, animals, birds, heavenly and hellish beings. However, the holy books in hinduism are the basis on which we have evolved our culture and way of. He is often considered to be one of the most important figures in jainism, as he reformed and worked throughout his life to spread the religion around the world. There are several religious sects prevailing in todays world like hinduism, jainism, sikhism, buddhism etc. Jainism has between four and five million followers, with most jains residing in india. Jainism traditionally known as jain dharma, is an ancient indian religion. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. The jinas are considered more respectable than the gods. The word jain is taken from the word jina, which means getting victory over thy self and the peripheral world. The aim of existence is to attain through the triratna of.
One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. This book is written by a westerner who is a practicing hindu, to give non. They are declaration of faith, praying five times a day, giving money to charity, fasting and pilgrimage to mecca at least once. Jaina tradition teaches that a succession of 24 tirthankaras saints originated the religion. The first and the third are quite simple to understand but the second one needs. Together these doctrines pave the way for a tolerant outlook and provide strong support for pluralism. Atheism, the view that the world was not created, is common to it with buddhism and the san. It is said that only fifth doctrine was added by mahavira to the first four. There is a constant interplay between the two, resulting in bewildering cosmic manifestations in material, psychic and emotional spheres around us. Jainism emerged in 6thcentury bce india, the same time buddhism was developing. The holy text of the zoroastrians is the avesta, composed in a language belonging to the early iranaian group of languages and resembling the language of the vedas. Almost every school of religious thought and belief has its own central texts to guide its followers.
The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that. Jainism offers a quiet, overwhelmingly serious way of life, a cultural insistence on compassion, a society of ethics that has dramatically changed the world and will continue to effect change. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. While you likely know a little about hinduism and buddhism, each having over a billion followers, you. Jun 20, 2019 sacred texts of major world religions. The faith is named for the jinas, spiritual conquerors who have achieved liberation and perfection. The religious scriptures are not followed word to word.
Our tirthnakaras disciples gandhers complied their words into texts, which are also called as agamslictretures, and passed to us so that every future generation can know the history. Jainism is a very ancient world religion with a history of over 3000 years, which originated in the indian subcontinent, like hinduism and buddhism. Jains strongly beileve in ahimsa meaning nonviolence. Although it has some similarities with both traditions, jainism is different from them with. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Jainworld is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of jain tradition of wisdom, compassion, equality, brotherhood, universal wellbeing and spirituality. The daily prayerbook the parsis use everyday is khordeh avesta the smaller avesta. Every book is a holy book, as they contains preaching of jina. 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. It is said that only fifth doctrine was added by mahavira to the first four doctrines preached by parsva. List of world religions and founders, religious books, place. As for doctrine, there seems to be an element of totemicism, so i would recommend checking out emile durkheims the elementary forms of religious life.
The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. The supreme importance of the doctrine of karma lies in providing a rational and. Five great vows mahavratas of jainism jainism literature. John e cort based on field research in northern gujarat as well as on the study of both ancient sanskrit and modern vernacular religious literature, john cort gives a rounded portrait of how the religion of. Wealth, property, grains, house, books, clothes, etc. Mar 17, 2015 jainism is an indian religion that emphasizes complete nonviolence and asceticism. Apr 23, 2015 to sum up, babb has written an intelligent book that is a pleasure to read, and deserves a wide readership. Jainism touches hinduism and buddhism in its cosmology and ideas of periods, and it agrees entirely with regard to the doctrines of karman, of the bondage, and the deliverance of souls. To sum up, babb has written an intelligent book that is a pleasure to read, and deserves a wide readership.
He flourished about 250 years after the death of parsva. 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. Jainism is one of the three major religions to emerge from india. They grant the freedom to choose beliefs such as in gods or nogods, agree or disagree with core teachings, participate or not participate. Hence, the jain religion does not have one sacred book like the bible or. They allow, however, that the founder of the jainism and his first disciples disdained to wear clothes. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. He was born as a prince in 599 bce, however at age 28, he gave up everything he possessed, in order to gain spiritual awakening. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. According to jainism all living beings, irrespective of their size, shape, or different. A holy man reading the guru granth sahib, the holy book of sikhism. Followers of jainism are called jains, and there are about 4 million worldwide.