A Brief Overview - Jainism

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Rin Daemoko

Jainism

Jainism is one of the world's oldest religions whose roots go back to times before recorded history. Those who follow Jainism are known as Ajainaor the followers of Jinas, from whom the teachings of this religion have been derived. Jainism's teachers of old whose wisdom and spiritual evolution are most revered are known as tirthankaras or "builders of the ford." The teachings of the these builders ultimately lead humans across the the endless cycle of rebirth to spiritual release. Metaphorically, this endless cycle is compared to a river that only those enlightened by the teachings of the tirthankarasmay hope to cross.

In Jain philosophy, time consists of infinite millenia that come and go in cycles of several million years. In our current cycle, twenty-four tirthankarashave appeared and Mahavira the 24th, tirthankara has been the last to appear. Like all preceding tirthankarasMahavira, whose name means "the most courageous one," was an actual historical figure who lived some time between 599-527BCE. Mahavira was a contemporary of another great spiritual teacher--Gautama Sakyamuni--who would come to be known in history as Buddha. According to most accounts, Mahavira was also a high-born member of a warrior caste who renounced the world when he was thirty to pursue a life as an ascetic. His moment of enlightenment came after twelve years of spiritual pursuit. He then gathered twelve disciples around him, and it is through these disciples that his teachings were eventually documentedand disseminated.


Some Key Principles of Jainism

Ahimsa,or non-violence: the concept of non-violence in Jainism involves not only the absence of physical violence, but entails compassion for all living creatures. The belief in karma,i.e that actions are counterbalanced by reactions, underscores the notion that all actions produce consequences. Some of th other key principles of Jainism include:

Anekantvad,or multiple views points;

Apirigraham, or avoidance of material possessions;

Satya, or the renunciation of secular life.

The doctrine of Anekantvadis embodied in the now famous tale of how three blind men each describe an elephant through their own particualr contact with one part of an elephant. Likewise, the concept of Anekantvadis extended to the idea as to how each person is limited by her/his own perspectives and cannot therefore either pass judgements or act upon a limited point of view.

In teaching about Apirigraham,Jainism stresses that greed, and particularly the desire to posses material goods, eventually entangles and limits human beings. Conversely, the absence of either the desire for possessions, or the possession of material goods, enables humans to be freenot only in this world, but from the eventual freedom from the endless cycle of birth and seath.


Jain Cosmology

One of the most important activities of the tirthankaraswas the search for an understanding of the universe. Accordingly, studyingLoka,or the true nature of the universe, evolved into a scholarly branch of Jainism and the development of a cosmographical schemata of the universe.

According to Jainism, there are three principle regions of loka. The first region is that of the several heavens. The highest level of the heavens is that of the liberated souls known as the Realm of the Jinas.Below this level is the heaven of the gods where different catergories of deities exist. These gods posses human characteristics:some however have divested themselves of desires while others of the lower orders live somewhat like human despots and rulers in their palaces surrounded by their courtiers. The realm inhabited by humans known as Jambudvipa, or "the continent of the rose-apple tree." This region is transversed by six mountains which divide the region into seven regions. The most important regions are India in the south, Airavat in the north, and Mahavideha in the middle. It is believed that in these three regions humans may find rewards for religious pursuits and that deliverance may be possible.

The third region in the Jain cosmos are the eight hells with each, in descending order, more horrible then the last. Existence in any of the hells, however, is not permanent: a person may be born again into a new form once she or he has been sufficiently punished. In contrast to the hell of Christianity which is characterized by burning heat, the Jain vision of hell is one that get progressively colder with each descent into lower levels.

http://www.intranet.csupomona.edu/~...s430/jain2.html

http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/jainhlinks.html