Jain Study Center NC Raleigh 1997 11 YJA Regional Convention

Author(s): Jain Study Center NC Raleigh
Publisher: USA Jain Study Center NC Raleigh

Page 23

Concept of God in Jainism
Pravin K. Shah Jain Study Center of NC
Jainism believes that universe and all its substances or entities are eternal. It has no beginning or end with respect to time. Universe runs on its own accord by its own cosmic laws. All the substances change or modify their forms continuously. Nothing can be destroyed or created in the universe. There is no need of someone to create or manage the affairs of the universe. Hence Jainism does not believe in God as a creator, survivor, and destroyer of the universe.
However Jainism does believe in God, not as a creator, but as a perfect being. When a person destroys all his karmas, he becomes omniscient and omnipotent. He is a liberated soul. He lives in a perfect blissful state in Moksha. This living being is a God of Jain religion. Every living being has a potential to become God of the Jain religion. Hence Jains do not have one God, but Jain Gods are innumerable and their number is continuously increasing as more living beings attain liberation.
Jains believe that since the beginning of the time every living being (soul) is associated with karmas. The main purpose of religion is to remove these karmas which are attached to the soul.
There are many types of karmas. However they are broadly classified into the following eight categories:
Jnana-varaniya (knowledge) Darasna-varaniya (vision) Mohaniya (delusion) Antaraya (natural qualities)
Vedniya (pleasure and pain of the body). Nama (body) Gotra (social standing) Ayu (life span)
While travelling on the path of spiritual progress, a person destroys all eight types of his karmas in the following sequence:
First Mohaniya (delusion), then Jnana-varaniya (knowledge), Darasna-varaniya (vision), and Antaraya (natural qualities) all three together.
Lastly the remaining four namely Nama (body), Ayu (life span), Gotra (social standing), and Vedniya (pleasure and pain of the body).