Jainism: Origin, Principle and Tenets

There is some valuable information about Jainism – Origin, Principles and Tenets which are given here in a concise form.  Read on to know more. . 

Jainism is one of the most ancient religions of the world and it originated in India. Millions of people across the globe still practice Jainism. People who are followers of Jainism believe that their faith has descended upon them through a series of spiritual teachers known as the Tirthankaras who possessed special spiritual powers. The name of the first Tirthankara was Rishabhanatha. Lord Mahavira was the last or 24th tirthankara who was responsible for orienting and shaping up Jainism into its present form. Ahimsa or non-violence is the key principle of Jain tradition. 

Origin of Jainism

• Historians and scholars have different views and opinions on the origin of Jainism. There are some evidence which suggests that Jainism existed during the Indus Valley Civilization
• However, no conclusion can be drawn on who was the actual founder of Jainism
• There were 24 Jain Tirthankaras who contributed to the evolution of the religion and guided the people
• People who follow Jainism believe that a particular time cycle was guided by the Tirthankara of that specified era
• According to them, the first Tirthankara was Rishabhadeva. Historians believe that he lived millions of years ago
• Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankara, who was the predecessor of Lord Mahavir, lived in the ninth century BCE
• All the people of Jain community today are followers of Lord Mahavir who lived in between 599–527 B.C.E. He popularized Jainism and established the Jain community

Facts about Lord Mahavir

• Lord Mahavira was born in the early part of 6th century B.C. in a royal family in Bihar
• His father’s name was Siddhartharaja. His mother’s name was Trishala
• When Lord Mahavir was born, he was named Prince Vardhamana. Later, he was named Mahavir which means the Great Hero. He is often called Vardhaman Mahavir
• He is revered as Mahavir because he remained unmoved under all kinds of adversities
• He had two siblings – Nandivardhana and Sudarshana
• He was married to Yashoda at an early age and had a daughter named Priyadarshana
• When he was only 30 years old, he left his home and family and chose the life of an ascetic/sanyasi 
• He meditated and practiced life’s austerities for the next 12 years
• He meditated under a Sal tree on the bank of the Rijupalika river at Trimbhigam for 12 years to attain the Supreme knowledge (Kaivalya) in 498 BC. The supreme knowledge made him the conqueror of both misery and happiness
• Lord Mahavira preached about basic principles and tenets of Jainism for 30 years. During this period, he visited various places including in the five hills of Nalanda called Vipulchak, Koshala, Magadha, Mithila, Champa etc
• At the age of 72, he achieved his true salvation or moksha and left his body

Basic Principles of Jainism

There are 5 basic principles which are often referred to as five-fold paths of Jainism. Those are explained here:

• Non-violence (ahimsa) –  plays a key role in Jainism. According to Jainism, all living organisms are created by the Universe and one should not cause any harm to them through one’s thoughts, speech or body

• Truth (satya) – To speak the truth but without causing any harm to others

• Non-stealing (asteya) – One should not steal other people’s property. It also means not to take things from someone without permission

• Chastity (brahmacharya) – Self-restrain from sexual activity

• Non-possession or non-possessiveness (aparigraha) – Not to get attached with any material things, people or places

Basic Tenets of Jainism

Tenets of Jainism revolve around some unique concepts. Here, those basic concepts are explained in a simplified manner:

• Jainism believes in the Jiva or soul. According to Jains, the soul is immortal and the universe is created due to Jiva (soul)

• The existence of God is recognized in Jainism, but Jina or Victor is believed to be superior to God. The 24 Tirthankaras are known as 24 Jinas whom the Jains regard as the perfected human beings

• Anekantavada: In Jainism, Anekantavada means nothing has a single definite, decisive, or definitive aspect (ek- anta); rather, when we make a statement about something, there are a  variety of possibilities or meanings (aneka-anta)

• According to this Anekantavada theory, our knowledge of something is always one-sided, or one-sided knowledge (ek-antaka). However, the truth about everything is multi-dimensional and not one-sided. Hence, one has to accept it with an open minded (aneka-anta)

• Syadvada means the ‘way of analyzing various probabilities’. As per Jainism, if we wish to make statements about anything- instead of one decisive argument, seven kinds of possible statements can be made. This concept is called ‘Syadvada’

• We have already explained the meaning of ahimsa in Jainism. The philosophy of ahimsa also encourages people to refrain from infringing on other people’s thoughts or beliefs

• Moksha: In Jainism, rather than relying on God’s blessings, one can learn to regulate one’s own senses in order to attain Moksha. According to Jainism, to achieve Moksha, a person should be freed from actions

Jainism has made a huge impact not just in Indian civilisation but in the whole of Asia and beyond. Jain philosophy has influenced cultural, political, and social aspects of people across the globe in many different ways.

Conclusion

If we have to summarize in a nutshell Jainism Origin, Principles and Tenets, it will be:

• Jainism originated millions of years ago here in India

• Lord Mahavir was the last prophetic soul of the recent time. He attained enlightenment who could free his soul with his sincere and persistent efforts

• Jainism principles and tenets lay great emphasis on severe penance and asceticism

• It acknowledges the fact that every human being has dual character – physical and spiritual. Still, one can attain enlightenment by rigorous practice of deprivation. This way he can free himself from his actions

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