Jainism: An Overview of an Indian Religion

Jainism is a religion and a philosophy of religion that has been existence in India for over 2500 years. The name comes from the word "jina", meaning "conqueror" that was bestowed upon twenty-four teachers known as "Fordmakers" because their guidance supplies the ford by which believers can cross over to salvation. The 24th Fordmaker is the only one not considered mythical. Mahavira actually did preach in the Ganges Valley some 500 years before the appearance of Christ.

Jainism considers the universe as eternally existing and therefore uncreated. Time is considered in terms of cycles. One full cycle consists of two periods that each last 600 million years. One of these periods is considered a time of ascent in which knowledge and human behavior improves. The other period is a time of descent, in which those things decline. During each cycle, it is believed that 24 jinas will appear.

Because Jainism does not believe in a creator God, the jinas are not themselves considered gods, though they are worshipped. In Jainism God is considered to be a conglomeration into one single soul made up of all the jinas and other liberated souls. Karma, in which the actions of the present play upon the conditions of the future, is an important aspect of Jainism. The Jains veer from Hindus and Buddhists, however, in their view that karma isn't an immaterial force, but rather infinitesimal particles of matter that permeate the universe and stream into the soul of individuals. One way to look at karma in this way is by comparing it to a virus and, in fact, these karma particles are believed capable of causing a sickness in the soul.

The soul is untainted in its pure state, nothing but knowledge and happiness. But this purity is corrupted in human beings by karma. Therefore, the ultimate aim of Jain spirituality is both to halt the inflow of the karma particles and to void those that already exist. This is done primarily by overcoming negative emotions such as anger, deceit, greed, pride and passion.