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JAINA CONVENTION 2011
"Live and Help Live
IDOL WORSHIP
Manu Doshi Manubhai Doshi received Jain Ratna award from JAINA in 2005. He retired from the Gujarat State Government in 1976. A founder/editor of Jain Darshan, founder/director of the Mahavir Senior Center, author of Jain books and translator of jain documents, Manubhai has written extensively on Jain religious subjects and yog. mansukhdoshi@yahoo.com Concepts of God and idol/non-idol worship of major religions including Jains of different sects, are summarized. Objectives and practices of idol worship by many Jains are based on misconceptions and influence of the other communities. These objectives need to be redirected to within self and such practices need to be modified to fit with true Jain concepts.
Christianity thus considers Jesus as the son of Dhyandhoopam Manahpushpam,
God and Islam considers Muhammad as the Panchendriya Hutäshanam;
prophet. They are against idol worship and Kshamäjäp Santoshpujä,
even resort to iconoclasm. Pujyo Devo Niranjanah.
Jainism stands away from such beliefs. It The immaculate Lord need to be worshipped
stipulates that whatever exists continues to with meditation as incense, mind as flower,
exist in one form or another and that nothing five senses as sacred fire, forgiveness as
can be produced out of nothing. As such, it is chanting and contentment as mode of
against the concept of creation or the Creator. worship.
It believes that every living body has a soul,
which is inherently pure, but presently stands Most religions hold the concept of a God
stained with Karma. The religious pursuit residing somewhere in the heaven. He is
consists of shaking off its impact so as to supposed to create the world out of nothing
attain the pure state of soul, which is identical and destroy it when he finds it infested with
with omniscience. Those, who have attained evil. He is thus believed to be the Creator and
it, are Godly and are worshipped as such. deliverer of justice. The religious practice therefore mainly consists of worshiping him so
The concept of perfect purity or omniscience is as to gain his favor. Since God does not have
abstract. Since it is hard for an average tangible body, it is not possible to reach him
person to make out that concept, most people physically. The mode of worship therefore
have to resort to idol or other tangible form in varies according to the concept of believers.
order to visualize it. Those, who have not Hindus believe that when there is too much
reached a high level of purity and yet refuse violence in the world, when justice is cast
to accept idol worship, resort to some other aside and wickedness prevails, God descends
form thereof. As a matter of fact, no lifeless to the earth in bodily form and sets up the
object has inherent sanctity. Whenever and order. He is therefore worshipped in the forms
wherever a person therefore attributes of such incarnations.
sanctity to any lifeless object, whether it is an
idol, picture, relic or symbol, he becomes an The people belonging to the faiths originated
idolater. in West Asia do not accept the theory of incarnations. They believe that God reveals
There are, however, creeds of non-idolatry through holy persons. Such holy persons are
even among Jains and Hindus. Sthänakwasi treated as prophets and the followers worship
sect was set up in 15th century by way of them as messengers of God.
protest against idol worship by Lonkäshäh. It
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