________________
Jain Influence on Jesus
-a surmise
K. V. KRISHNA AYYAR
The influence of Jainism in foreign lands has not received the attention of historians as Buddhism has done. It is due to the fact that so far no relic of Jainism has been discovered outside India. It might again be due to the considerable resemblance between Jainism and Buddhism. For a long time, even in the land of their origin, there has been a tendency to regard them as more or less identical. In both the fundamental basis is the Law of Karma, in both God is conspicuous by His absence; both stress individual effort; according to them every man is the architect of his own fortune. In both we have saints first as models and exemplars and afterwards as guides lending a helping hand.
The object of this paper is to probe into the question whether there had been Jaina influences in West Asian regions and hence on Jesus Christ. This is at best only an interesting surmise, for no clear evidences to support it are available. However certain remote, circumstantial evidences could be traced that may lend some plausibility to the view which is worth investigation. In the first place it will be admitted on all hands that there is a big gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament, between Moses and the Prophets on the one hand and Jesus on the other. Secondly, there is a gap in the life of Jesus between his twelfth and thirtieth year and during this period, as held by some writers, he might have visited India. or places close to the north-west border of India. Thirdly, there is a very great similarity between the teachings of Mahavira and Jesus, especially in their emphasis on truth, non-violence, chastity, the importance of good deeds, and indifference to worldly wealth and possessions. Both also helped and healed everyone without distinction of birth or sex and both recognised no difference between man and man. According to some writers, these resemblances could not have been merely accidental. And as Mahavira lived and taught five hundred years before Jesus, the former could not have been influenced by the latter. It should have been the other way either Jesus had come to India and imbibed Jainism, or he must have come into contact with Jainism nearer home.
Jain Education International
It was not however necessary for Jesus to come to India to imbibe the Jaina teachings. According to Luke (LLL, 23) in his thirtieth year
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
