İnanç Dosyası 12 | Jainism 1

Jainism is a system of religion and philosophy founded in 6^th century BCE by Mahavira who was a contemporary of Buddha. According to Jain belief, time is infinite, composed of a series of movements, upwards and downwards, lasting millions of terrestrial years. Twenty four Tirthankaras, (often called Jinas, guides, or teachers) appear one after the other during each movement, and Mahavira is the 24^th or last of these. True Knowledge, True Faith, True Conduct and True Austerity are the four jewels,essential.to.the.Jain.faith.

Like Buddhists, Jains reject the idea of God the creator. The Jinas show the way to free oneself from the confines of reincarnation. A Jina or Tirthankara is one who has attained this state of liberation and is free of reincarnation. The Jinas were all ascetics before they could attain the state of enlightenment, and asceticism is emphasized. The fundamental Jain ethic is to avoid injury to any living creature, the doctrine of Ahimsa, the main guiding principle of conduct. Living creatures not only include humankind and animals, but also plants, insects and microbes. To interfere in the development of another living entity is to delay liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. Ceasing to eat or drink after dark, and the monks' practice of covering the mouth with a cloth are based on the principle of Ahimsa. This is also a principle held by Buddhists and Hindus but adhered to less rigidly.

Robed in white, the Shvetambara Sect, wearing mouth guards in order to minimize the chances of breathing in life-forms, worship at the inner sanctum of Adinath Temple, in Mumbai, India.

Jain temples are usually ornate because they were thought of as replicas of the heavenly halls of the Tirthankaras.

But vegetarianism and tolerance of all living creatures is a concept widespread in India. The Indian political leader and holy man, Mahatma Ghandi, a Hindu follower of Vishnu, brought the policy of Ahimsa into the political arena, by advocating passive resistance to bring about political change, and struggling against evil by non-violent protest. Lay people must not harm any living creature intentionally, but monks must not harm a creature even inadvertently. Jains do not hunt or fish, but in farming, destruction of life is considered unintentional. Traditionally, the accepted professions are the civil service, all branches of art, earning a living as author, handicrafts, farming and commerce. The artistic tradition in Jainism is rich, levels of education and literacy are high, and Jains are well- to-do and influential members of the Indian community.

Because the Tirthankaras do not present themselves to worshippers and are not able to directly assist their devotees, no priest or any other intermediary is necessary in worship. The laity are permitted to perform acts of worship both in the temple and at home. But it is believed that concentration on the iconic forms of Tirthankaras will foster spiritual progress.

Jains have faith in teachers rather than in any divinity. Gods are acknowledged to be part of the cosmos. Tirthankaras and spirits who have attained enlightenment (siddha), are held by Jains to be superior to the deities whose names are mentioned in scriptures. In Jainism, deities have a role, but are subject to rebirth in the same way as humans.

India – Mumbai, Adinath Temple. 

The Supreme Beings bear the sign of divinity on their chests. 

Worship may take the form of quietly intoning a mantra, together with simple eye contact with the image, or it may involve anointing and decorating the image. A member of the Shvetambara sect during worship.

 

Concerning the rules to which monks are bound, Jains were split into two sects in 4^th century BCE: the Digambaras and the Shvetambaras. The differences of opinion leading to the schism are as follows: the meaning of Digambara is 'Sky-clad' and it is their belief that all possessions, including clothing, are an obstacle to liberation. Accordingly, total renunciation requires that all male ascetics, not females, must abandon their clothes. They hold that the very donning of clothes prevents your release from sexual emotions or the concept of modesty, and that, when you wash your clothes you are prepared to destroy life-forms. A naked Digambara monk may use a whisk to remove small insects before he sits down. Digambaras use their cupped hands, not alms bowls, to receive alms. A pot containing water for lavatorial purposes is the only other article they are allowed to possess. Concerning the status of women, the Digambaras believe that females have to be reborn as males before they can achieve liberation. Robed in white, the Shvetambara sect maintains that detachment is in the mind and opposes nakedness as it may involve destruction of life because it requires lighting fires in winter. They wear masks over their mouths to minimize the chances of inhaling insects and microbes. Shvetambara monks are permitted to carry a whisk, a staff, an alms bowl and a copy of the scriptures, and sometimes an icon or image of the Tirthankaras. They wear white robes which are unstitched, but even this sect must go barefoot. Monks are not permitted to wash in running water as this renders them impure, so direct contact with an image is not allowed. Modern monks use damp rags to clean themselves, but in the old days they would have been very dirty. Cooking and growing foodstuffs is forbidden them. Begging for food must be conducted in silence, making no spoken appeal, and the food must be eaten in private. A good way for a lay Jain to earn spiritual merit is by giving food to an ascetic. 

During daily worship, water, sandalwood, incense, a lamp, rice, sweetmeats, flowers or fruit are offered. Although flowers are living things, if they are cut for ritual in the temple, it is not thought to be sinful. However, some Jains believe that even for worship purposes only flowers that have already fallen should be used. Generally, Jain and Hindu temples are fairly .similar, with a standard tower and outer courtyard. Jain temples have an inner sanctum where the image of the Tirthankara is held. Worship may take the form of quietly intoning a mantra (a sacred word or syllable) together with simple eye contact with the image, or it may involve anointing and decorating the image. Jains can invoke various goddesses to help with worldly or material problems, and their images are usually located in the outer concourses. The laity are expected to attend the temple wearing clean clothes, but Jainism stresses 'inner' cleanliness and rejects Hindu belief in the purifying function of sacred rivers and temple pools. Jain temples are usually ornate because they were thought of as replicas of the heavenly halls of the Tirthankaras. The Hindu temple is regarded as the actual residence of a deity. 

Although both sects forbid monks from having any sexual relation with a woman, among Jains, women have never been allotted inferior status. But in the religious hierarchy they have always been secondary to men. Women can take part in religious services just as men can. Usually, the Jain cosmos is depicted in human form. It has not been created by any supreme being and is eternal. It has always existed and will always continue to exist. There is a series of heavens at the top, each brighter than the one below, and the home of liberated souls is situated above the topmost. There are eight successive hells at the bottom, each more unpleasant than the one above. An individual does not remain in the hells for all eternity, since once enough punishment has been meted out, the individual will be reborn.