Jainism
by Kushal BaidJainism is one of the oldest living religions of India. It predates recorded history as per references indicated in Hindu scriptures. It is a religion of purely human origin. Jainism holds that the universe is without a beginning or an end, being everlasting and eternal and runs according to its own cosmic laws. The fundamental entities in the universe continuously undergo countless changes but no new entities are created nor any destroyed. The concept of a superhuman God as a creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe does not exist in Jainism.Jains are followers of Jinas. Jina is a human being who has conquered the worldly passions like desire, hatred, anger, greed, and pride by one's own personal efforts and has thereby attained perfect knowledge, omniscience and liberation from the bonds of worldly existence, including the cycle of births and deaths. Such perfect beings are considered Gods in Jain religion. Those Jinas that establish a four fold order of Sadhus (Monks), Sadhavis (Nuns) and Shravak and Shravikas (Male and female householders) and preach Jain philosophy, religion, ethics, conducts to his followers are called Tirthankars.Lord Mahavir was the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankar of the Jain religion of this era. He was born in 599 B.C. in Bihar, India. After 12 and half years of meditation and penance, he achieved Kevalgyan -"perfect knowledge" at the age of 42. For the next thirty years he preached the eternal truths to his followers. At age 72 he achieved Nirvana and became a Siddha -a liberated soul.Mahavir preached that each living being has a body and a soul. Every soul is capable of achieving perfect knowledge and liberation. The soul incarnates into various bodies due to the accumulation of karmas as it moves through the cycle of births and deaths. A soul can attain liberation from the karmic matter by following the right faith (samyak-darshan), right knowledge (samyak-gyan) and right conduct (samyak-charitra).
The right conduct for Jains is defined by the five great vows:
