What if every living thing in the universe had a soul ? Not just humans , but also cows and pigs , pismire andmosquitoes , tree and peak , clavus and tomatoes , fungiand microscopic bacteria . accord to the ancient Indian religion of Jainism ( pronounced as it looks — " Jane - ism " ) , not only does every living thing have a psyche , but all soul are evenly valuable and every bit worth of deference and pity .
In its strictest form , Jainism is practiced by ascetical monk and nuns in India , some of whom foreswear all worldly possessions ( including clothing in one custom ) , cover their mouth with a snowy cloth to avoid make unnecessary harm with their hint and spittle , and run a soft brush or plume duster while walk to lightly swing out away any tiny souls ( in insects ) in their path .
But for millions of Jains in India ( guess at4.5 million ) and worldwide ( another250,000 ) , their faith is fully intertwine with modernistic life . The core teachings of Jainism — nonviolent resistance , non - possessiveness and numerousness of standpoint — are not only viewed as the good way to achieve the ultimate liberation of the mortal ( moksh ) , but also the ripe way to deal others and to care for the surround .
The United States is home to an estimated150,000 Jains , a tiny fraction of the American religious landscape painting , but enough to plunk for vivacious Jain communities nationwide include tons of ornate Jain temple .
An ‘Eternal’ Religion Without a God
Jainism is believed to be the honest-to-goodness religion to emerge from the Amerind subcontinent , predatingHinduismandBuddhism , with which it shares a opinion in reincarnation , karmaand the soul ’s quest for enlightenment ( keval gyan ) and liberation ( nirvanwithout the " a " ) . But unlike Hinduism and Buddhism , there are no godlike being in Jainism , neither a single Divine God nor a powerful pantheon of gods .
Jains believe that their religion , like the existence itself , is eternal and without beginning or terminal . The person ( jiva ) is also eternal and item-by-item , not part of a larger general " divine " as in the Hindu concept ofBrahman .
" In Jainism , our ' god ' are the Tirthankars , which are different from the traditional idea of a god , because they ’re not superhuman , " explains Harshita Jain , a scholarly person at Rutgers University and managing director of education forYoung Jains of America . ( Note : Jain is a common last name among Jains , as is Shah . Since we ’re quoting two people in this tale with the last name Jain , we ’ll use their first names to avoid confusion . )
The Tirthankars were 24 individuals who accomplish enlightenment and freeing by completely cleansing their souls of karma . The most late and last Tirthankar wasLord Mahavir , who lived and instruct in the sixth century B.C.E. The Tirthankars are " god - like " in the sensation that their psyche achieved infinite knowledge and happiness , but they do n’t reply prayer or work out other divine powers .
Lord Mahavir ’s teachings were pass down orally and recorded in theAgams , a collection of Jain scriptures . There are no Jain priests or clergy , but Jain Thelonious Sphere Monk and nun serve as the living interpreters of Jainism , dedicating their lives to analyse theAgams , meditating on Lord Mahavir ’s commandment and preaching the path to liberation .
" There is no unmarried ' God ' in Jainism , but each and every soul can become a ' god ' — a perfected being free of all karma — if it follows the veracious course , " say Savita Jain , professorship of public relations and medium withJAINA , a voluntary organization serving Jain community across North America .
This same electric potential to be emancipate from the round of birth and death and become a god is the reason that all souls are view as equal in Jainism , and therefore why nonviolence is practiced toward all living being .
The Three A’s and the Five Vows
Lord Mahavir was digest a flush prince , but give up his royal trappings and became a nomadic ascetical , fasting and reflect for 12 geezerhood until he found the one true way to enlightenment . Along the way , Lord Mahavir taught others how to achieve the same .
Thecore precept of Jainismare known as the " Three A ’s " :
Jains are also encouraged to take five vows orvratsthat teach self - control and control . While the super - nonindulgent versions of the five vows are only kept by Jain monks and nuns , most Jains do their good to keep " lesser vows " known asanuvrats . The five vows are :
Everyday Jainism
All Jains are either vegetarian or vegan to inflict the least amount of violence on living things , but even some vegetables are forbidden . For example , all root veggie are outlawed , including staple fiber of Indian culinary art like potatoes , Daucus carota sativa , onion , garlic and ginger . These vegetable are said to possess an " infinite number of souls , " and therefore consuming them go to an incredible amount of violence .
Eating after sundown is also a no - no , because bugs are attract to lights when it ’s glum outside and might fall into the food . And leftover are forbidden because yesterday ’s nutrient has collected too many microbes , even in the icebox .
" Jains are supposed to whole fend off eat Pisces , eggs , mushroom , alcohol , beloved and butter , " say Harshita . " With regards to the root vegetable , that ’s a personal decision . We do n’t pronounce each other , because everyone follow the dietetical restrictions the skillful that they can . "
Jains are also to avoid belt down any insects ( even mosquitoes and roach ) as doing so would violate the principle ofahimsa .. To prevent that , Jains take spare precautions , like making sure there ’s no standing water for mosquito to breed .
Prayer and meditation are an important part of casual liveliness in Jain households . Most Jains dedicate a special room or turning point of their home for saying their day-after-day prayers , which traditionally necessitate 48 minutes of silent reflection and speculation . The function of Jain prayers is n’t to ask favour from a divine source , but to reflect on your actions , ask forgiveness for hurting others ( wittingly or unknowingly ) and recommit to the five vows .
Special prayer and worship ceremonial occasion are defy at Jain temples , which differ by each particular sect of Jainism . In the Shwetambar custom , for object lesson , visitors to the temple might perform a traditionaleight - fold puja , in which the somebody make eight symbolic offering to beau ideal of the Tirthankars .
Jain Holidays and Celebrations
Jains conform to a lunar calendar , and there are several important and wide celebrate vacation or " holy days " in the original sense of the word . In late summer , the two major sects of Jainism each observe foresighted period of fasting and self - reflection calledParyushan(in the Shwetambar tradition ) andDas Lakshan(in the Digambar tradition ) . Each vacation is over a calendar week long , and most Jains will take off from work or school to fast or otherwise detach themselves from blase concerns .
Not everyone is capable of fasting for days on closing , but that ’s OK , say Ruchi Vora , a bookman at Oregon State University and theatre director of public relations for Young Jains of America .
" What ’s important is apply ego - restraint , " tell Vora . " Fasting is hard on my health , so what I seek to do is limit my screen time by detaching from social media and my phone . It ’s my way of finding inner peace . "
Diwalior Deepavali , celebrated as the Festival of Lights by Hindus , is also observed by Jains and Sikhs in India . For Jains , Diwali holds special significanceas the twenty-four hours that Lord Mahavir attained release . On Diwali , Jains light lamp and candle in their home base to symbolize their commitment to save the flame of Lord Mahavir ’s teachings alive .
