Essence of Jainism

Author(s): Sukhlal Sanghavi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Essence of Jainism
External form of Jain Culture
As in the case of the external form of other cultures, in the Jain culture in its external form, several things are included. Scripture and its language. temples and their architecture, the shape of the idols and the types of worship, things that are of use in this worship, the habits of food and drink of the society, festivals and holidays and so many other things have a typical relation with the Jain society. These matters are the limbs of the external culture. It is yet not a rule that wherever and whenever these and other similar things are present, the essence of the culture is present. It sometimes happens that these externals are present and still the essence is absent; it also happens that even in the absence of these the essence of culture might be present. Any individual, keeping this point of view before himself and pondering over it will very easily understand that the essence of Jain culture that I intend to describe here may be found not necessarily only in the persons born in the Jain society and proclaiming to be Jains. The essence is to be understood to be absent if the persons commonly known as Jains and proclaiming to be Jains are not basically and internally qualified to be called Jains. On the other side, if the individuals not claiming to be Jains are duly qualified, this essence is to be taken to be present-in all probability. Thus, the external form is limited only to a certain society, it is not easy to come across it in any other society. The essence of culture, however, can possibly be found in the followers of other society as with the followers of that particular society. The real fact is that the essence of culture or its soul are so wide and independent that place, time, race, language and customs cannot bind its flow and bind it to themselves.
Essence of Jain Culture: Religion teaching abstention
The question is as to what the essence of Jain culture is. It is that abstention is the very soul of Jain culture. The religion which presents us with abstention, i.e., destroys the circle of rebirth or as a means to this abstention when the religion is born, has developed and is propagated, is known as Nivartaka dharma, i.e., religion