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2. Polycentrism
In India, there are 33 "koti" deities in Hinduism, 24 Tirthankaras in Jainism, 10 Gurus in Sikhism, thus the centers of one's prayer or ritual can be multiple instead of one figure. Similarly, in China there are hundreds of gods and saints. In Japan, there are infinite numbers of Kamis (gods). Again, this polycentric phenomenon is highly unlikely in the Western religions.
3. Transmigration
In India, all the philosophies consider the time and the universe to be of cyclical nature instead of linear as in Western religions. One can attain a better or worse next birth based on one's karma in the past birth. This notion again is a uniquely dharmic notion not found in Western sense of "religion".
4. No Sacred/Profane dichotomy
In the Western religions, "sacred" is seen as distinct from "mundane". But in Asian tradition, dharma pertains to everyday life in addition to visiting the sacred places. To follow Jainism for example, one's entire life needs to be changed including dietary habits. Thus, there is no separate category of "religion" as distinct from daily life.
Western religions are organized around the Pope or the sharia. However, in India, in every age new thinkers have challenged and
reinterpreted the traditions in innovative
ways thus no single tradition could emerge
as one state religion.
5. No "Organized" religion
Western religions are organized around the Pope or the Sharia. However, in India, in every age new thinkers have challenged and reinterpreted the traditions in innovative ways thus no single tradition could emerge as one state religion. Similarly in China, Buddhism was rarely a state religion. In China, Shinto was a state religion only from 1889 to 1946.
6. "Mythistory", not history
Indian traditions trace their origins to prehistoric times. The historicity of the twenty four tirthankaras in Jainism or of Rama or Krishna in Hinduism is not as critical as the historic events in Western religions. Similarly in Japan, it is popularly believed that Izanagi and Izanami created Japan and other kamis. In China, the Taoist texts have no historic writer. However, in Western religions, the Exodus of Moses, the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Hijra of Mohammad is centrally important.
7.
Texts In the Indian context, we have multiple Jain Aagamas and multiple Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas in Hinduism. In China, there are two Taoist and five Confucianist texts. In Japan again, there are more than one Shinto texts. In the Western context, one holy text such as Torah, Bible or Quran is central to the religion.
14th Biennial JAINA Convention 2007
162
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