Introduction to Jainism

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

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INTRODUCTION TO JAINISM
Compassion in human evolution
Fortunately nature is and has always been compassionate. It assists its souls during their long pilgrimage of, and it was and is part of cyclic destiny that they will develop into fully fledged godlike humans. For that purpose they were taught by sages and teachers who were far ahead of average humanity. Civilization has evolved slowly but surely for millions of years. In each stage of human development people of superior knowledge and intelligence are born, who teach average humankind on every stage of cultural evolution, and help them to shape a stable, varied and goal-oriented social structure and culture. In fact they represent the blossom of collective humanity of that period. Such helpers were the “Einsteins” of their time and in a sense far ahead in their development compared to even the greatest scholars and personalities of our days, because we ourselves still belong, though millions of years later on average, to that same evolving humankind. These Kulankaras, as they are called in the Jain scriptures, appeared at moments of crucial importance, and were the beacons along the pilgrim's path of humanity. It was the Kulankaras who built society. On the basis of the materials available we may sketch the following picture of the history of humankind on earth:
Primitive humanity still understood little about nature mentally, but they could perceive nature's phenomena, and they had to become aware that they had a meaning - for things not understood can give rise to fear. Fear can only be destroyed by knowledge and understanding, and this is what the Kulankaras provided. The first Kulankara taught them that the sun and the moon where natural phenomena of which there was no reason to fear. The second Kulankara taught that planets as well – of the existence of which humanity have apparently become aware even that long ago, belong to the normal things of nature; and that there was no need to fear them or pray to them. Subsequent Kulankaras made sure that wild animals – once they had come into existence - were