Jainism the Creed for All Times

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 23

PREFACE
Jainism -- the faith propounded by Tīrthankaras (the Prophets Propounders of the Jaina faith), call it a creed, a faith or a religion - places a great emphasis on the universally appealing principle of 'LIVE AND LET LIVE' enshrined in its guiding principle of absolute non-violence towards all fine and gross living-beings of the universe.
Though Jainism, as the very name suggests, is the creed or the set of beliefs propounded by the Jina or the conqueror of the self by vanquishing the spiritual foes that hinder the soul's progress towards its ultimate goal of spiritual emancipation or liberation from the mundane existence, which is fraught with sorrow and misery. However, it is not a sectarian religion within the confines of its rituals and traditions but a religion of humanity. With its comprehensive perspective and vision of spreading world-wide the culture and practice of non-violence, peace and harmony integrated with the concepts of detachment and lack of dogma, it has a global relevance in the contemporary world.
No claim about the superiority of any creed over the others can be justified. However, all faiths are a reflection of the stage of evolution of the seers who propound their precepts and principles and to that extent it can be said that Jainism, as a creed reveals a high degree of evolution of noble thoughts on the part of its Propounding-Prophets or Tīrthankaras and it compares well with other noble creeds such as Buddhism, based on the noble principle of universal compassion, and Christianity that preaches