Jainism

 **__ Jainism Fact Sheet __** // “Jainism is an ancient religion // // from //// India //// that teaches that the way to // // liberation and bliss is to live a life // // of harmlessness and renunciation.” // **__ Founding __** : Jainism does not have a single founder; however, Tirthankaras appear as great omniscient teachers to reveal the way of truth to followers—they teach the way to moksha, or liberation. In the present age, there have been 24 Tirthankaras that teach followers the spiritual goals of Jainism and how to achieve them. The aim of Jainism is to achieve liberation of the soul; it was born in India and is similar to Buddhism and Hinduism because of its customs and beliefs. Agamas are the texts containing the teachings of Jainism. The texts were originally memorized by Monks and Nuns and passed through generations. Eventually, Mahavira’s disciples compiled the beliefs into text, which became the Agamas.
 * Mahavira ** is the world’s most recent Tirthankara. He is regarded as the man who gave Jainism its present day form.
 * __ Customs & Beliefs: __**
 * __ Dharma __** - The path that Mahavira advocated for Jains was one of strict asceticism, renunciation and moral cultivation.
 * __ God __** - Jains don’t believe in a God, but rather in divine beings who are worthy of worship.
 * __ Karma __** - Karma determines the quality of life. Jains believe a soul can only achieve liberation by getting rid of all the karma attached to it.
 * __ Reincarnation and Deliverance __** - The quality of a soul after death is determined by its karma at the time of death. Reincarnation if it's bad, and deliverance if it's good.
 * __ The Soul __** - For Jains body and soul are different things. The body is just an inanimate container; the conscious being is the jiva or the soul.
 * __ The Three Jewels __** - The Three Jewels are right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
 * __ The Universe __** - Jains believe that the universe we perceive really exists and is not an illusion. It contains two classes of thing: **//jivas//** - living souls, and **//ajivas//** - non-living objects.
 * __ Women in Jainism __** - Jainism is in many ways dedicated to equality, but for some Jains, a woman’s very femaleness creates spiritual inequality.
 * __ Fasting __** - Fasting is very common in Jainism. Fasting at special times is a way of purifying body and mind. However, in very rare cases a Jain may undertake santhara, fasting to death.
 * __ Pilgrimage __** - Pilgrimages play an important part in Jain life, but are not required.
 * __ Texts __** :
 * __ Worship __** :

Jains try to carry out certain spiritual acts every day; they worship in temples and practice **//Eightfold Puja//**, a ceremony that involves the worshipper making eight symbolic offerings to the image of a Tirthankara.
 * __ Subdivisions __** :

There are two major sects of Jains: **//Digambara//** (sky clad) and **//Svetambara//** (white clad); these sects are also subdivided among each other. These sects agree on the basics beliefs of Jainism but disagree on some specifics regarding rituals and practices (i.e. women’s rights, clothing, sacred text, etc.) Jainism is dominant in Asia (mostly India) and has about 10-12 million followers making it among the smallest of all religions (less than 1% of India’s population). Despite its small numbers, Jainism influences India a great deal, and many “Jain communities” exist throughout India. Additionally, “Jain communities” exist outside of India in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, East Africa, and throughout Asia.
 * __ Membership __** :
 * __ Overall __** :

Jainism is one of the oldest and smallest religions. Originating in India, it has 10-12 million followers and has been compared to Buddhism and Hinduism. Jains do not believe in a god, but believe that every soul is divine and strive to reach Moksha or liberation. Tirthankaras exist to teach and show Jains the way through beliefs and practices. Worship takes place in temples where Jains practice their beliefs. Although Jainism is among the smallest of all religions, it has been very influential and continues to be practiced around the world.

< http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/>
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