Portrait of Jain Religion

Author(s): Narendra Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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coexistence over exploitation, compassion over cruelty, nonviolence over violence and truth over falsehood. In one form or another, each religion has elaborated the concept of sin and the way of getting rid of it by doing good deeds.
Each religion has developed its own logic and ritual. Rituals are born of human instinct of adoration and awe towards the unseen power underlying all life in the universe. Conceptual thought culture reflected in the scriptures, worship modes, prayer, meditation, penance and contemplation are intended to promote conquering of one's ego and spiritual awakening. In its own way, each religion seeks not only to sustain life, but to elevate it to a higher spiritual plane.
However, for the average follower of a religion, rituals have tended to be identified as religion. Often people have been hypnotized by seemingly miraculous powers of rituals and have drifted from the spiritual substance of respective religious beliefs. Religions have been reduced to mere ritualistic allegiance to Gods and Godesses.
The religions of the world have not necessarily grown in isolation. They have enriched one another in diverse ways at significant points of contact, while maintaining their distinct identity. This has happened between Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism in the early centuries in a spirit of synthesis. At the same time history has also been witness to clashes including violent ones between religions as well as between sects of the same religion. Each religion has also developed within its own parameters considerable diversity of beliefs as well as practice both in the interpretation of doctrine as well as rituals. This has, over a period of time, led to the formation of sects and sub-sects in the same religion.
The global perspective has not at all times, been harmonious and accommodating. This has tended to weaken and compromise universal translation into daily life of people of love, compassion, synthesis, piety and mutual tolerance- which happen to be fundamental tenets common to most religions. Instead ritualistic
A Portrait of Jain Religion