Introduction to Jainism

Author(s): Rudi Jansma, Sneh Rani Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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INTRODUCTION TO JAINISM
humankind by great sages and seers from the moment humanity began to develop a self-conscious mind - and that is, according to Hindu doctrines, millions of years ago.
The other tradition is the śramana (not to be confused with “shaman”) tradition. Aśramana is someone who consciously pursues spiritual aims. To these the Jains and Buddhists, who both deny the authority of the Veda - at least the priestly interpretations and practices of it. Still, both traditions have deeply influenced and fertilized each other, and have partly achieved a synthesis, and they usually respect each other. The Vedas were brought by the Aryans, who are said to have come from the Northern part of ancient India – which stretched beyond the Himalayas – but the śramana tradition already existed in regions more to the South, which included present-day India.
The Hindus, on the other hand, do recognize the authority of the Vedas, but a number of fundamental concepts have been integrated which originally seem to stem from the śramana tradition. The concept of karma is one of them. In the Veda this term is used mainly in relation to ritual actions which are supposed to bring about certain effects, but not in the sense the concept of karma is used today: a universal "law” of cause and effect, on which the greater part of the ethics of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and modern Theosophy are based. Concepts such as "enlightenment” (moksha) and “renouncing of worldly affairs” (sannyāsa) also stem mainly from this tradition. Jainism, as said, belongs to the śramanistic mindstream. Again and again humanity has been taught by the Jinas - those who have conquered their passions and illusions and have acquired perfect knowledge and insight, and are no longer bound through karma to the cycle of existence. Some of them, who have built up the right karmas, again preached the dharma, the spiritual doctrine, code of conduct and cosmic law. They were moved by compassion for suffering humankind with the purpose of saving as many living beings from the mire of suffering as possible – or to put it more correctly: to teach them how to