This PPT describes the beginning of Jainism,early life and preaching of Lord Mahavir, 3 path, 5 great vows and daily life of a Jain. The PPT also gives an insight on the literature, prayer and some debatable issued under Jainism.
1. Jainism and its Philosophy
“Live and Let Live”
Presented by-
Pooja.P
Advocate
Pooja Jain, Advocate
2. Early life of Lord Mahavir
• Mahavir was born on the 13th
day of rising moon of Chaitra
month, 599 B.C. in the state of
Bihar, India.
• This day falls in the month of
April as per English calendar.
• His birthday is celebrated as
Mahavir Jayanti day.
• Unlike Buddhism, Lord
Mahavir is not the founder of
Jainism before him already
Tirthankaras were in existence.
• Mahavir was a prince and was
given the name Vardhaman by
his parents
• At the age of 30, he left his
family and royal household,
gave up his worldly
possessions.
• He spent the next twelve years
in deep silence and meditation
to conquer his desires and
feelings.
• At the age of 72 (527 B.C.),
Lord Mahavir died and his
purified soul left the body and
achieved complete liberation
Pooja Jain, Advocate
3. Lord Mahavir and his life
•He became a Siddha, a pure consciousness,
a liberated soul, living for ever in a state of
complete bliss.
•On the night of his salvation, people
celebrated the Festival of Lights (Dipavali) in
his honor.
•Lord Mahavir was the 24th and last
Tirthankara (spiritual guide or a Messenger)
of the Jain religion of this era.
•He organized his followers, into a four fold
order, namely monk (Sadhu), nun (Sadhvi),
layman (Shravak), and laywoman (Shravika).
4. Jain Philosophy
•Root word is Jina – means the one who has conquered
inner enemies, which are anger, ego, deceit and greed
•Jainism believes in Godhood but does not believe God
to be the First Cause.
•God is not a Creator, Preserver or Destroyer of the
universe.
• “God” does not Punish or Reward
•Each person is responsible for improving life by one’s
self-endeavor
•Jains have always practiced non-violence,
vegetarianism, meditation, yoga, and environmentalism.
5. Preaching's of Lord Mahavir
• Mahavir was quite successful in
eradicating from human intellect the
caste system and conception of God
as creator, protector, and destroyer.
• He also denounced the worship of
gods and goddesses as a means of
salvation. He taught the idea of
supremacy of human life and
stressed the importance of the
positive attitude of life.
• Lord Mahavir also preached the
gospel of universal love, emphasizing
that all living beings, irrespective of
their size, shape, and form how
spiritually developed or under-
developed, are equal and we should
love and respect them.
• Both men and women are on an
equal footing.
• The Digambara sect of Jainism
believes that women must be reborn
as men in order to achieve liberation.
• The Swetambar sect, however,
disagrees with this position, holding
that one of the tirtankara, Mallinath,
was a woman and even today the
majority of Svetambara monastics are
female.[
• The idols of 24 Tirthankaras in the
temple are the same because they
represent the quality and virtues of
Tirthankaras not the physical body.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
6. Three path to liberation
•Right faith (samyak-darshana)-Rational
Vision,
•Right knowledge (samyak-jnana)-Rational
Knowledge, and
•Right conduct (samyak-charitra)-Rational
lifestyle
•All three together will help attain the
liberation of one's self
7. Right conduct-5 great Vows
• Nonviolence (Ahimsa) - not to cause harm to any living
beings-Maan, Vachan & Kaya
• Non-absolutness(Anekantavad) -Strengthens the
autonomy of life of every being
• Truthfulness (Satya) - to speak the harmless truth only
&Non-stealing (Asteya) - not to take anything not
properly given
• Non-possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha) -
complete detachment from people, places, and
material things.
• Chastity (Brahmacharya) - not to indulge in sensual
pleasure
Pooja Jain, Advocate
8. Jainism & Environmentalism
• Non-Possessiveness / Aparigraha
• Self-restraint is the second most important
Jain principle.
• Minimizing consumption provides respect for
others’ life and environment.
• Reuse / Recycle Products – Do not waste the
gifts of nature. Share resources.
• Nature provides enough for our NEED, but not
enough for our GREED.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
9. Vegetarianism
• Vegetarianism is a lifestyle for a Jain,
taking its starting point in the idea of
sympathy for living creatures, Jiva
Daya.
• While the Jain eating routine does,
obviously, include mischief to plants,
it is viewed as a method for survival
which includes the absolute
minimum measure of brutality
towards living creatures. (Many types
of plant material, including roots and
certain organic products, are likewise
prohibited from the Jain eating
routine because of the more
prominent number of living creatures
they contain attributable to the earth
in which they create.)
• . Practically, it is impossible to survive
without killing or injuring some of the
smallest living beings. Some lives are
killed even when we breathe, drink
water, or eat food. Therefore, Jainism
says that minimum killing of the
lowest form of life should be our
ideal for survival.
• Other important aspects of the Jain
philosophy of food includes eating
food before sundown, mainly to
spare the creatures that come out in
the dark and eating fresh and healthy
Pooja Jain, Advocate
11. Difference between Jainism and
Hinduism:
• Jainism questioned the Vedas, Caste Sytem and
existence of God.
• As far as Jainism is concerned, it does not believe
in caste system. It does not differentiate people
on the basis of their caste. It believes that all
souls are equal and each soul has the power to
attain moksha. Therefore, anyone, irrespective of
his caste or creed, can follow Jainism.
• Jainism believes that one’s actions are important,
not the family where a person is born
Pooja Jain, Advocate
12. Difference between Jainism and
Hinduism
• Hindus offer worship to many forms of one
God, the creator and preserver of the world,
Jains do not believe in the concept of an
eternal God or a creator of the world. Jains
regard the world itself as eternal.
• Additionally, Jain rituals, temples, places of
pilgrimage, fasting and festivals differ
significantly from those in Hinduism.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
13. Prayer
• Jain prayers aren't like the God-focussed
prayers
• Instead Jain prayers tend to recall the great
qualities of the tirthankaras and remind the
individual of various teachings.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
14. Prayer of Jain religion
• Every day Jains bow their heads and say their universal prayer, the Navkar-mantra.
All good work and events start with this prayer of salutation and worship.
Namo Arihantanam: - I bow to the enlightened souls
Namo Siddhanam: - I bow to the liberated souls
Namo Ayariyanam: - I bow to religious leaders
Namo Uvajjayanam: - I bow to religious teachers
Namo Loe Savva Sahunam: - I bow to all monks of the world
Eso Panch Namukkaro: - These five salutations are capable of
Savva Pava Panasano: destroying all the sins and this is
Mangalancha Savvesin the first happiness among all forms
Padhamam Havai Mangalam: of happiness.
• In the above prayer, Jains do not ask for any favors or material benefits from their
Gods, the Tirthankaras or from monks and nuns.
• They do not pray to a specific Tirthankara or monk by name. By saluting them,
Jains receive the inspiration from the five benevolent for the right path of true
happiness and total freedom from the misery of life.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
15. Pratikramana (Samayika): meditation
• Pratikramana means turning back. It is a form of
meditation where one reflects on his spiritual
journey and renews his faith. For both
Swetambaras and Digambaras, it takes the form
of periodic meditation. The period can be twice
daily (morning and evening), once every lunar
phase, every four months, or every year.
• By tradition certain postures are recommended
for Pratikramana.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
17. Jain Literature
• Jain literature is classified into two major categories:
• Agam Literature
This consists of original scriptures complied by
Gandharas and Srut-kevalis. They are written in the
Prakrit language.
• Non-agam Literature
This consists of commentary and explanation of Agam
literature and independent works, complied by elder
monks, nuns, and scholars. They are written in many
languages such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, Old Marathi,
Gujarati, Hindi, Kannad, Tamil, German, and English.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
19. Bal Diksha
• Bal diksha or the induction of minors in
monastic order is criticised as violation
of children's rights.
• Gujarat high court advised the state and
central government to bring legislation to curb
the practice.
• Since 1955, four attempts to get a legislative
bill against Bal diksha passed in Parliament
have failed.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
20. Sallekhna/Santhara
• Sallekhna: It is the religious vow of gradually
reducing the intake of food and liquids observed
by terminally ill or old Jain disciples. It is widely
called fasting unto death as there is a reduction in
food intake
• In August 2015, Rajasthan High Court cited that
the practice is not an essential tenet of Jainism
and banned the practice, making it punishable
under section 306 and 309 IPC (Abetment of
Suicide). But a few days later, The Supreme
Court stayed the High Court's order.
Pooja Jain, Advocate
