This page provides information about important jain texts. Mahavira accepted most of the religious doctrines of parsava and codified the unsystematic mass of beliefs into an organized and rigid religion. I was surprised to discover that jainism dates from the time of the buddha, and has such a large following today. Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. Along with hinduism and buddhism, jainism is one of the three most ancient indian religious traditions still in existence and an. This page covers the basics of jainism at a glance. Of the two major divisions of jainism, the digambaras believe all their original. Jesus, moses and abraham are respected as prophets of god. For a book entitled why buddhism is true, we find substantial portions of buddhist doctrine and practice ignored. He flourished about 250 years after the death of parsva. Jainism is an ancient religion from india that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation. Truthfulness satya is the one of the most basic principles to be adhered to. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. A holy man reading the guru granth sahib, the holy book of sikhism.
Jaina canon, the sacred texts of jainism, a religion of india, whose authenticity. Jainism ritual practices and religious institutions. This is one of the major and most important beliefs. 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. The aim of existence is to attain through the triratna of. 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. He rejected the authority of vedas and the vedic rituals. The result was sikhism, which is now the fifth largest organized world religion. These texts identify anekantavada doctrine to be one of the key differences between the teachings of the mahavira and those of the buddha. All about hinduism is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that is hinduism. Agama is a sanskrit word which signifies the coming of a body of doctrine by means 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. According to its own traditions, the teachings of jainism are eternal, and hence have. As per muslim beliefs god sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach then how to live according to proper way.
Jainism is an indian religion that emphasizes complete nonviolence and asceticism. 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. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Salvation through liberation from the constraints of the human condition. Jainism jainism ritual practices and religious institutions. The bible is our textbook, and it places a high value on doctrine. Christianity, islam, hinduism, buddhism, judaism and sikhism are some of the major religions in the world. The jain literature which was complied by ganadharas and srutkevlis is known as agam literature.
List of books and articles about jainism online research. 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 book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. Basic teachings and philosophical doctrines of buddhism. The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all jains, especially the jina mahavira. 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. Our intention behind our actions of body, mind, and speech bind us with karma. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b.
They are 1 the deity of christ, 2 salvation by grace, 3 resurrection of christ, 4 the gospel, and 5 monotheism. The supreme importance of the doctrine of karma lies in providing a rational and. Teachings of jainism revolves around a comprehensive knowledge about the whole nature, universe as a whole, which is termed as keval jnana. Jains strongly beileve in ahimsa meaning nonviolence. Speaking or even thinking evil is unacceptable, according to this religion. According to jain thought, the basic constituents of reality are souls jiva, matter. Teachers are to help students identify, understand, believe, explain, and apply these doctrines of the gospel. Unlike monotheistic traditions, the jains do not have a unique holy book that characterises their faith. Instead they have a body of holy writings or scriptures. Jainism is one of the three most ancient indian religious traditions still in existence and an. The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war.
Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct forms the basic teachings in jainism thats why they are called the three jewels or ratnatraya of jainism. Basic beliefs of hinduism hinduism facts hinduism facts. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or. Jains believe in following the path of nonviolence ahimsa too. List of world religions and founders, religious books. Instead they have a collection of holy writings and scriptures. As you know, hinduism is the oldest religion on the planet. To sum up, babb has written an intelligent book that is a pleasure to read, and deserves a wide readership.
Each study will include 10 summary statements, explanations of the terms and topics covered, and the main scripture verses to study. It is very, very vast and has a large number of beliefs compared to other religions. Traditionally, how many godsgoddesses are there in hindu. Jainism traditionally known as jain dharma, is an ancient indian religion. Basic doctrines the church of jesus christ of latterday. The basic doctrines should be highlighted in both seminary and institute classes.
The aim of jain life is to achieve liberation of the. The peaceful nature of jainism jainism is often described as one of the most peaceful religions there have been no wars fought in the name of jainism jainism has been a major cultural, philosophical, social and political force since the dawn of civilization in asia the jaina tradition has existed in tandem with hinduism in. Jainism emerged in 6thcentury bce india, the same time buddhism was developing. Acharyas recreated the oldestknown digambara jain texts, including the four anuyoga. Basic beliefs islam is the second most followed religion in the world. Hence, the jain religion does not have one sacred book like the bible or. Doing so will help students strengthen their testimonies and increase their appreciation for the restored gospel of jesus christ. Sikhism originated in the 15th century from the teachings of its founder guru nanak, who was born as a hindu but renounced its major beliefs at an early age to find a path of his own.
Muslims believe that muhammad was the final and last prophet. Iv the basic doctrines of jainism ps primary source a primary source is a work that is being studied, or that provides firsthand or direct evidence on a topic. In india, they share this feature with the buddhists. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse. In this time period two major sects, namely digambar and swetambar, were already. The tattvarthasutra contains the main doctrines of the jain faith. The bible itself reveals those doctrines that are essential to the christian faith. The jains have 5 great vows by which they try to live their lives.
These and other early texts make up their scriptures. There are five pillars of islam that form the core of this religion. It is very difficult to encompass all the beliefs of hinduism in an article. They are humans who achieve enlightenment via asceticism. The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas. The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are. About onefourth of the worlds population pursues islam that was revealed to the prophet muhammad. This lesson introduces the history of the religion.
Unlike most common monotheistic religions, jainism does not have one holy book that characterizes their faith. Jainism is an ecologically responsible way of life which is nonviolent in thought, action, and deed. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. Theantiquity of jainism jaina religion is the oldest religion of india, it began as a spiritual discipline for. Jain philosophy internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Although it has some similarities with both traditions, jainism is different from them with. Followers of jainism are called jains, and there are about 4 million worldwide. Jainism religion bhagwan mahavir jain symbol belief. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and. Essential christian doctrine or the major doctrine of christianity. Want to know more about jainism, one of the three major religions that developed in india. Definitely worth reading, especially if you revere nature and are dubious about monotheistic religions.
This is the first of 50 studies on basic christian doctrine. The faith is named for the jinas, spiritual conquerors who have achieved liberation and perfection. But jainism is different than buddhism in its ascetic beliefs. Shvetambara monks are allowed to retain a few possessions such as a robe, an alms bowl, a whisk broom, and a mukhavastrika a piece of cloth held over the mouth to protect against the ingestion of small insects, which are presented by a senior monk at the time of initiation. There are three gems of jainism, namely right perception, right conduct and right knowledge.
Vardhaman mahavira was the 24th and last tirthankara of jainism. Ultimate goal of life is eternal release from karma. The kalpa sutra is the holy book of the of jainism religion. Common types of primary sources include works of literature, historical documents, original philosophical writings, and. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. A small number of faith groups who consider themselves to be within the framework of christianity do not accept some of these beliefs. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. Both these religions emphasis on nonviolence, but in jainism nonviolence is its main core. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred.
Zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. As already noted, the basic principle of jainism states that mundane souls. Basic christian doctrine faith bible church online. The supreme importance of the doctrine of karma lies in providing a rational and satisfying explanation to the apparently inexplicable phenomena.
Sikhism rejected the authority of the vedas and created independent textual traditions based on the words and examples of their early teachers, eventually evolving entirely new ways for interacting with the lay community. The most often cited book of the jains is the tattvartha sutra book of reality thought to date from the second millennium bce, but only recorded in written form in the 5th century ce by umasvati, and it is at that point that jainism splintered into the two main sects. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence ahimsa, literally noninjury to all living creatures. He was born in kundagrama a suburb of vaisali modern muzaffarpur district in bihar in 599 b. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. Both jainism and sikhism are faiths native to the indian subcontinent. The most enjoyable parts of the book were its discussions of jainist ethics and the nature of the life force. Hindus are in a similar position, even though they have the vedas, which can be considered the ultimate source of teaching. Jainism is properly the name of one of the religious traditions that have their origin in the indian subcontinent. The agamas unveil the secrets and doctrines of the omniscient, lord mahavira. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b. So, here we will discuss only the basic and major beliefs of hinduism.
Jainism is a very ancient world religion with a history of over 3000 years, which originated in the indian subcontinent, like hinduism and buddhism. Quran is the holy book which regulates and teaches every segment. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment. Muslims base their laws on their holy book quran and the sunnah. Its professional religious people are monks and nuns, who lead strict and ascetic lives.