Page 23 - Perceptions papers

JAINISM

Harendra Panalal, MSE, PE

The traditional Jain greeting is Jai Jinendra. It means victory to the Jinas. Jina is a Prakrit

word which means a conqueror, one who has complete control over his five senses, and has

conquered his inner enemies such as anger, hatred, passion, jealousy, greed, etc.

Some unique and salient features of Jainism.

There are—at most—eight million Jains in the world, mostly in India. Why Jainism did not

spread is that Jainism does not believe in violence so it was not imposed upon anyone with force.

There are many professions such even farming which cannot be practiced by Jains. To protect

themselves from being invaded by external hostilities, Jains often depended on Hindus.

Basic Tenets of Jainism

Ahimsa Nonviolence

Satya Truth

Asteya or Achaurya Not to steal

Brahmacharya To lead a chaste life

Aparigraha Non-accumulation of wealth

The acronym ASABA is for these five basic tenets. Please note that nonviolence is on top of

the list. Jainism is very ritualistic, and promotes asceticism. The primary mission of one’s life is

to attain nirvana or moksha which means ending the cycles of birth and death.

What are Jainism’s Sacred Texts: Since classical Sanskrit is difficult for many people, Jain

holy scriptures called Agam, Ang-Bahya-Agam (outside of Agam), and Sutra were mostly written

in Prakrit, as well as in Pali, Ardhamaghdi and Savraseni none which are in use today. These

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