In india, they share this feature with the buddhists. Jain tirthankars laid the foundation of a selfless nonviolent philosophy in india as an ancient school of spiritual philosophy that originated three millennia ago, jainism has made immense contributions to indian society, its values and religious beliefs. The shvetambara sect officially rejects the digambara texts and follows instead. As with most religious traditions, jainism has scriptures that contain its. Unlike monotheistic traditions, the jains do not have a unique holy book that. The existing agam sutras are accepted as the authentic preaching of lord mahavira by the swetambar sects, but the digambar sect does not accept them as authentic. This explains why the svetambaras and digambaras consider different texts to be. Fordmaker also called jina victor, in jainism, a saviour who has succeeded in crossing over lifes stream of rebirths and has made a path for others to follow. The monks of the digambara sect do not even possess clothing.
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. Enjoyed the married life for years and had a son named rahula. This page provides information about important jain texts. According to tradition, his predecessor, parshvanatha, lived about 250 years earlier. Brought up by stepmother gautami married at 16 to yoshodhara. Shatkhandagam and dhavala ratna karanda sravakachara of a. Broadly, jainism is divided into two major schools of thought, digambara and svetambara.
Shah jain study center of north carolina raleigh 401 farmstead drive, cary nc 275115631 9194690956 and fax email. The digambara and svetambara sects interpret the notion of the divine sound differently. Jain texts describe the shape of the universe as similar to a man standing with legs apart. Samantabhadra chhah dhala of daulatram atmasiddhi of shri. The digambara sect believes that there were 26 agam. Many jains worship at temple everyday, while others do so much less frequently. Since gautama buddha, founder of buddhism, belonged to the same region of magadha as mahavira the 24th tirthankar of jainism, and because both were contemporaries, it was assumed erroneously that jainism was contemporary of buddhism or was an off. Indian society owes these values to the twenty four tirthankars of jainism school, the most prominent of whom the last one, vardhman mahavir. So he could be called a reformer of the jain religion or rejunevator of the faith which was already and had a long tradition. Jain literature comprises jain agamas and subsequent commentaries on them by various jain. The discourse delivered samavasarana divine preaching hall is called shrut. All jains agree that, originally, there were fifty books of scripture, all of them miraculously produced by mahavira. Jainism was born in india about the same period as buddhism. The agam sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war.
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. The books of jainism were written in the popular vernacular dialects as opposed to sanskrit which was the classical standard of brahmanism, and therefore encompass a number of related dialects. Jain cosmology considers the universe as an uncreated entity that has existed since infinity with neither beginning nor end. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b.
Selfcontrol and nonviolence are taught as the means to obtain liberation from the worlds suffering. 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. The digambar jain sect maintains that after the famine, the entire jain. Jainism is an indian religion which is traditionally believed to be propagated by twentyfour spiritual teachers known as tirthankara. Among these five vows, nonviolence ahimsa is the cardinal principle of jainism and hence it is known as the cornerstone of jainism. Unlike monotheistic traditions, the jains do not have a unique holy book that characterises their faith. The religion states that the tirthankara taught in a divine preaching hall called. Lord mahavir, popularly regarded as the founder of jainism, was the last of the tirthankars who flourished from 599 to 527 b. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. The digambara sect believes that during this famine all the agamas were lost. The buddha also known as sakyamuni or tathagata born in 563 bc on the vaishakha poornima day at lumbini near kapilavastu in nepal his father suddhodana was the saka ruler his mother mahamaya, of kosala dynastry died after 7 days of his birth. These texts are the holy scriptures of the jain religion. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse.
The founders of jainism fit into a general category of religious movements that emphasized as a means of spiritual development a. Jain books, jain literature, jain shastras in english. Antiquity of jainism professor mahavir saran jain lord mahavira is not the founder of jainism. This is a complete ebook of on the indian sect of the jainas, by johann georg buhler. Jainism also known as jaina dharma is a religion originating in india that emphasizes nonviolence towards all living things and equality among all life. While there are differences in practices, the core philosophy and main principles of each sect is same. Introduction to jainism, theory of karma, the six dravyas and more. Jaina canon, the sacred texts of jainism, a religion of india, whose authenticity is disputed between sects. While these two divisions of jainism are in broad agreement about the main teachings and practices of the jain tradition, they differ over the question of what. Hemacandra 10891172, one of their acaryas, religious leaders, was a minister of the calukya king kumarapala 11441173, and was able to have some jain rules enforced in the kingdom. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
Jaina tradition teaches that a succession of 24 tirthankaras saints originated the religion. We have certain scriptures which are considered as very sacred. Collection of complete texts by jain scholars from around the globe. Rajchandra kalpasutra, acharangacomplete translation searchable texts. List of books and articles about jainism online research. Jain cosmology is the description of the shape and functioning of the universe loka and its constituents such as living beings, matter, space, time etc.
The existing agam sutras are accepted as the authentic preaching of lord mahavir by the swetambar sects, but the digambar sect does not accept. Eventually the teachings were written down but the various jain sects have disputed what makes up the scriptures or even that any have survived for centuries. Hindus are in a similar position, even though they have the vedas, which can be considered the ultimate source of teaching. All jain sects agree that this teaching was originally passed on orally, but over the. What are the major rituals, holy days, garments, ceremonies and symbols. The relative authority of religious texts develops over time and is derived from the ratification. Digambars follow two main texts shatkhand agam and kasay pahud and four anuyogs consisting of more than 20 texts written by great acharyas scholars from 100 to a. Instead they have a body of holy writings or scriptures. Mahaviras disciples memorised his words and their followers had to commit to memory what they were told and so on. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. Nonviolence is the supreme religion ahimsa parmo dharma. Like adherents to their parent sect, brahmanism, the jains admit in practice the institution of caste, perform a.
Jainism is, above all, the religion of nonviolence ahimsa, an ideal which all other religions of india. The word canon for the jain holy writings is increasingly felt to be. In these books there are lucid descriptions on the birth of jainism. Even religious scriptures were considered possessions and therefore knowledge of the. Jain beliefs fundamental beliefs of jainism the soul is bounded by karma from the beginning of time. They differ from literary texts by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual practices, commandments or laws, ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and for creating or fostering a religious community. Selected brief writings covering topics of interest. 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. It prescribes a path of noninjury ahimsa towards all living beings. Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being. Each of these sects is also divided into subgroups. Jainism lays heavy emphasis on nonviolence ahimsa and the believers of this religion, whether a monk or a householder, follow a very strict, well disciplined life. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. Jainism ritual practices and religious institutions.
Jain is the term used for a person who has faith in the teachings of the jinas spiritual victors. Mahavira 6th century bce was the last tirthankara to appear. Using the english word canon to describe jain holy writings is increasingly. Jainism jainism ritual practices and religious institutions. Jinas are human beings who have overcome all passions kasayas and have attained enlightenment or omniscience kevalajnana, who teach the truths they realized to others, and who attain liberation moksa from the cycle of rebirth samsara. Shvetambaras were especially successful in gujarat, which is still the heart of shvetambara jainism.
These are further divided into different subsects and traditions. The principles of jainism among the sacred books of jainism, the 12 angas hold the foremost position. Jains worship in temples which contain images of the 24 tirthankaras. In the second anga, called sutrakeitanga, the following sayings are contained which give insight into the nature of jainism. Part 1 topics include shree simandhar bhagwan, saat tattva sambandhi bhul, lakshan ane lakshanabash, panchma gunustanvarti shravak ni 11 pratimao, sukh shu che, panch bhavo, char abhav, panch pandavo, bhavna batrisi. Jainism, ajivika, and buddhism arose in the 6th cent. In fact, the householders are supposed to evolve to the monkhood in the later stages of life as was the case with the hinduism in the vedic era. Agamas are texts of jainism based on the discourses of the tirthankara.
Jainism differs from many religions in that there is no one scripture or holy book that is central to our faith. Bc as protests against the overdeveloped ritualism of hinduism, particularly its sacrificial cults, and the authority of the veda. For the svetambara sect, as for all jains, the jinas are the ultimate source of. Also the religious books and scriptures were considered possessions and attachments. The different jain sects accept different numbers of angbahya texts. For jainism worship is a means to personal spiritual and karmic development, it is not actually worship for exultation or devotion to any particular entity. History, society, philosophy and practice agustin paniker on. Chief among these is ardha magadhi, which due to its extensive use has also come to be identified as the definitive form of prakrit. The arhant heritage jainism shraman culture is confirmed by the writings in srimad bhagwad, padmapuran, vishnupuran, skandapuran and shivpuran, naradpuran, manusmriti and other religious book. Eleven books of anga and thirtyfour books of angabahya. Rather, there are many religious texts the most wellknown of which are the agams that include transcriptions of the oral history provided to us by tirthankars and jain teachers, as well as scholarly commentary on the interpretation of the religion. The teachings of the jinas were originally passed on through the spoken word.