$JES 911 Essence of World Religions Reference Book

Author(s): Pravin K Shah
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

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Essence of World Religions
cream, and meat, fish, eggs, honey, leather shoes and other items, fur, silk, and pearls
Reduce the needs and wants as far as possible and minimize consumption
Do not waste the gifts of nature. Reuse and recycle all the products and share the resources
Provide service to lift someone who is down-trodden "Nature provides enough for our NEED not enough for our GREED". Let us pledge to live a compassionate, ethical and disciplined life, to minimize the negative impact of our existence, on the life of others, and on the environment.
I forgive all living beings; let all living beings forgive me;
I have friendship with all and enmity towards none
Jain creed
Beliefs
Each living being (soul) is beginning-less and endless, and eternally individual.
The ultimate goal of every living being is eternal release from transmigratory nature of life (Samsär), the cycles of birth and death, which is known as liberation. Each soul must conquer himself (his desires of attachment and aversion) by his own efforts in order to attain liberation (Moksha).
Jains believe in the philosophy of karma, reincarnation of the worldly soul, heaven and hell as a reward and punishment for one's deeds, and liberation (Nirvana or Moksha) of the self or soul from life's misery of birth and death.
Jains believe in God as pure soul characterized as all Knower and Observer but not Doer. In other words God is pure consciousness, a perfected soul without any Karma attached to it. Every living being has a potential to become God. Hence there exist infinite number of Gods.
Jains do not believe in a single supreme God who is a Creator, a Destroyer, or a Savior of the universe and engages in providing and punishing to being and interfering in their matter. They believe that nature's law governs all affairs of an individual and all events of the universe.
Jains do not believe in a supernatural power that does favors for
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