Religions in India- Jainism

Jainism is the oldest monastic tradition. Vardhamana Mahavira and the twenty four tirthankaras are followed as the tradition.

Mahavira was born in one the ruling family in the state of Bihar in the Vaishali town.

Mahavira renounced his opulent life when he was thirty and devoted to self-mortification and fasting.

He did this to comprehend the reality of existence and to purify his consciousness.

Mahavira never owned any property and never stayed in any house. He also gave up clothing.

Mahavira attained enlightenment in the ninth century B.C. and he destined himself to lead the rest of his life by teaching his disciples the monastic order and in meditation. He entered into the ultimate fasting deliberately and stepped into starvation and completed his life.

The belief is that Jainism considers the working of karma and its conditions for the soul release. The Jains believe that the soul is the living substance and this determines the fate.

Majority of the matters relating to human senses comprise of plants and animals linked to several degrees and believes to have sense. They feel that any action certainly has consequences following the embodied soul.

The Jain discipline lies in total non-violence with any of the living beings. Jain monks as well as nuns mask their face so that they do not inhale any small organism also accidentally.

They practice believing in remaining vegetarians. Jains recognize the deities, but do not consider the Vedas as holy texts. They in fact look at atheistic and individual quest in the aim of eliminating karma and purification. Their main aim is to blow the individual self.

Jainism community is based on the two monastic disciplines such as Digambara and Svetambara. The monks of the Digambara discipline wore no clothes and followed the principle of owning nothing.

They ate the donated food and the Svetambara follows the discipline of wearing white robes as well as carried bowls. Digambara follows the discipline of not accepting women liberation, but the Svetambara accept it.

Jain strongholds and formed communities even in urban area. Jains are found in majority in the Maharashtra state especially in Mumbai, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Digambaras are seen in big numbers in the Jain community.

Jains get into numerous ritual activities and resemble the Hindus. The Tirthankaras images and special shrines can be found in public temples are revered, but not worshipped.

The daily rituals include bathing and meditation. They bathe the images offer flowers, food and light lamps, recite mantras with sincerity and devotion. Jains worship without compromising the path of devotion.