Description

2.5 What is Jainism?

Topics discussed in this episode:

• History of Jainism - 2:03

Five Great Vows

1. Do nor harm any living thing.
2. Speak the truth.
3. Do not steal.
4. Be chaste.
5. Renounce all possessions.

Terminology:

Jiva (soul): essence of every living thing, eternal and conscious

Kevala: omniscience, absolute knowledge of reality; enlightenment that terminates samsara

Digambara: one of the main Jain sects; characterized by monastic practice of nudity

Shvetambara: larger of the two main Jain sects; characterized by monastic practice of wearing white

Jina: "conqueror" or one who has overcome samsara

Tirthankara: a "bridge builder" or "maker of the ford"; one who has crossed over from the captivity of samsara to the world of enlightenment and freedom from rebirth

Resources for further research:

• Jain Center of America virtual tours
• Vaughn, Lewis. Anthology of world religions: sacred texts and contemporary perspectives. Oxford University Press, 2017.

• Partridge, Christopher, and Tim Dowley. A Brief Introduction to Jainism and Sikhism. 1st ed. Vol. 5 of Brief Introductions to World Religions. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, 2019. 

• Gough, Ellen. “Jainism: An Introduction - By Jeffery D. Long.” Religious Studies Review 36, no. 1 (2010): 97.

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