Hidden Treasure Of East ; JAINISM - TRUE AND PURE RELIGION

Mahavira ( which means "great hero" ) is the name by which the Jains usually refer to vardhamana, the leading figure in the development of their religion.
Vardhamana was born in 599 B.C. , in north-east India, the same general area in which Gautama Buddha ( founder of Buddhism ) was born, though a generation earlier.

The similarity of the life stories of the two great men is truly amazing. Vardhamana was the younger son of a chief, and like Gautama Buddha was reared in considerable luxury. At the age of thirty, Gautama abandoned his wealth, his family ( a wife and daughter ), and his comfortable surroundings, and decided to seek spiritual truth and contentment.
Vardhamana became a monk in the small and very ascetic Parsvanatha order. For twelve years he engaged in deep meditation and reflection, meanwhile enduring the extremes of poverty and asceticism. He retained no personal property of any sort, not even a small cup or dish with which to drink water or collect alms. Though at first he retained one garment, after a while he discarded even that and walked about completely naked. He would allow insects to crawl over his bare skin and would not brush them off , even when they bite him.

In India, where itinerant holy men are more comman than they are in the West, Mahavira's appearance and behaviour frequently aroused taunts, insults, and blows, all of which he endured without reprisal. When he was forty-two, by now he attained enlightenment. He spent remaining thirty years of his life preaching and teaching the spiritual insights that he gained. When he died, in 527 B.C. , he had many disciples.

In some ways Mahavira's doctrines are very similar to those of Buddhism and Hinduism. Jains believe that when a human being's body dies, his soul does not die with it but is reincarnated in some other being ( not neccessarily human ). This doctrine of transmigration of souls is one of the foundations of Jainist thought.

Jains believe in KARMA , the doctrine that the ethical consequences of an act affect one's lot in a future existence.
To remove the accumulated load of guilt from one's soul , and thereby to purify it , is a primary goal of the Jainist religion. Mahavira taught , this can be achieved by the denial of sensual pleasures.
Jainist monks , in particular , are supposed to practice a rigorous asceticism. It is noteworthy that deliberately starving oneself to death is considered praiseworthy.


A very important aspect of Jainism is the great stress it lays on the doctrine of AHIMSA ( non-violence ). Jains emphasize that ahimsa include non-violent behaviour to animals as well as to human beings. as one consequence of this belief , Jains are vegetarians. a devout Jain , quite literally, will not kill a fly ; nor will he eat in the dark, as he might accidentally swallow an insect , and thereby cause its death. Indeed a sufficiently devout and well-to-do Jain will hire someone to sweep the street infront of him as he walks , so that does not accidentally step on and kill an insect or worm.
For this alone reason , Jains actually do not engage in agriculture.

Originally , Jainism had no caste system. However, through constant interaction with Hinduism, a caste system developed within Jainism.
Mahavira himself never spoke of a god or gods , through contract with Hinduism some worship of deities has arisen.
Since there are no writings by Mahavira , some absorption of doctrines from Hinduism was probably inevitable.

Furthermore, the Jainist doctrine of non-violence has been a continuing influence upon Indian thought , even down to modern times, for example , Mahatma Gandhi was strongly influenced by the teachings of the Jainist philosopher Shrimad Rajachandra ( 1867-1900 )

Unfortunately, this great religion has been confined to Indian Sub-continent and few regions in South East Asia.