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WHO ARE THE JAINS?
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icons of the Tīrthamkaras look much like those of Buddha, but they differ from the latter in that they are usually naked to indicate their complete detachment from material possessions. There are good reasons to suppose that the Jain icons were the models for those of Buddhism, and not the other way round as some may think. Many of the icons of sitting Jinas seem to be of far earlier date than the Buddha himself.
Due their attitude of nonviolence and tolerance for deviating views of others they have through the centuries touched a keynote which resounds even today in all religions of India as well as in politics. Nonviolence though perhaps less explicit, is also one of the principles of Hinduism and Buddhism and of religions that originated outside India, such as Christianity and Islam. It was even part of the religion of the Mexican Aztecs, in so far as they were influenced by their “god who descended from heaven,” known as Feathered Serpent. Apparently nonviolence represents a universal principle, which however has time and time again been misunderstood by humanity. What is remarkable is that one of the aspects of karma was known by the Scandinavians as Orlog – a word still in use with the meaning of “war,” in the Dutch language for example. The well-known Arabian “Jihad” means in the first place “inner combat,” i.e. the battle which leads to conquest of the divine over the animal nature, and of course not what many have made of it: the battle and victory by me – the good one - over the other – the bad one.
As we will see, Jain religion is unbelievably old. Perhaps it is the oldest religion in the world, or has its roots in an even older, universal religion, which through the ages has revealed itself to humankind in innumerable forms.
Jains are not just ethicists. Their ethics and way of life are deeply anchored in a thorough philosophy, and in scientific and biological knowledge. Their system covers, among other things, astronomy, cosmology, mineralogy, biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, and theology - if we may apply these names of comparable disciplines in the modern world.
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