What is Jainism?
Jainism is a less-known Eastern Religion. It originated in ancient India and influenced Indian culture and society to a great degree.
We can trace the origin of Jainism to the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the most ancient civilizations in the world.
This religion was basically for living an ascetic life.
Jainism does not believe in the creator God. It believes in the birth cycle, soul, and liberation. For every Jain, i.e. the follower of Jainism the ultimate goal of life is Moksha, i.e. breaking the cycle of Birth, Death, and Rebirth.
Followers of Jainism are peaceful people and they do not like to engage in any violent activities and businesses. They are staunch vegetarians and do not kill or cause to kill any animals.
Jain Monks and Nuns
There are about 20000 Jain monks in India. They live an ascetic life, wander here and there and preach to the people. The Jain monks are divided into 4 various sects. Monks of the Digambar sect are naked, while others wear white clothes, including the nuns of the Digambar sect. All the monks and nuns wander on their bare feet. They wander all over India and neighboring Nepal. Many of the Jain monks and nuns are highly educated, know at least three different languages and write books on Jainism-related topics.
Anybody who has studied the basics of Jainism and follows the principles can become a Jain monk or nun. It is not necessary to be a born Jain to become a Jain monk or nun.
Lay Followers of Jainism
There are about 10 million followers of Jainism in India, and another 10 million in other parts of the world.
The Jain population in India is less than 1% of the total population. However, Jains have contributed a lot to the building of modern India. They are working in various fields including Business and Industry, Education, Film Industry, Government and Politics, Art, Science & Technology, Social Activities, etc.
It is interesting to know that Jains are the most literate people in India. Most of the Jains belong to Middle Class, Higher Middle Class, or Higher Class families.
The followers of Jainism are spread all over India. Most of them are multilingual people, however, their Mother Tongue is generally one of the following languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, Tulu, or Marawadi. Hindi is the second language for most of the Jains, if it is not the first one.
Five Vows of Lay Followers of Jainism
Every Jain has to follow following principles:
Ahimsa i.e. Non-Violence: Not to kill or cause to kill any animals, and not to engage in violent activities.
Truth: Always choose the path of truthfulness.
Non-Stealing: Not to steal anything
Celibacy: Abstaining from sexual activities with other than the spouse.
Non-Attachment: Not being attached to material things.
The same vows are for Jain monks, but for them, the degree of following the vows is very higher.
Famous Jains
There are many famous followers of Jainism worldwide. Here is a small list:
Claudia Pastorino: Pop singer from Italy
Dr. Michael Tobias: Film Producer and Author from USA
Charlotte Laws: American Author and Animal Rights Activist
Ajit Jain: Possible successor to Warren Buffett
Anshu Jain: Global Head and Managing Director of capital markets at Deutsche Bank.
Sunny Jain: Musician and Music Composer
Sheetal Seth: American actress and producer
Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Director of Hindi movies
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai: Father of Indian space program
V Shantaram: One of the Pioneers of Indian film industry
Kiran Shah: British actor and stuntman
Some great people of India and other countries were inspired and influenced by Jainism. Such persons include Pythagoras, George Bernard Shaw, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
What is Jainism? By Acharya Yogeesh
An Overview of Jainism
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