Hannah Boisvert, Sabrina Navarro, and Juanita Gallegos What is ?  Jainism is the religion that teaches the idea of liberation through good acts and harmlessness. The main goal of the Jain believer is to reach liberation of the soul. Founder & Date  The lineage of the , Found which are the 24 great thinkers, begins with Rishabha and ends with .  Mahavira is credited to be the founder of Jainism. He was the last of the tirthankaras.  Mahavira’s lifetime: 599 BCE-527 BCE  He was born in Bihair, India. • It is believed that Jainism was founded in 550 BCE, and the origin of Jainism was located in India.  In Jainism, the main concept is perfecting the soul.  Seven or nine are the fundamental beliefs in Jainism. Other beliefs under the umbrella of the tattvas include , soul, and knowledge.  Reincarnation occurs until the soul is free of karma.  Ahisma is one of the most important Jain principles, which is the belief in nonviolence.  The scale of perfection is used to free believers of karma.  The salvation of the soul, moksa, comes after absolute knowledge.

 Jainism has beliefs in gods, but it doesn’t support the concept of god as a creator, operator, or destroyer.  Gods= Arihants (Tirhankars) Siddahs (liberated souls, souls liberated from a cycle of birth and death.)  Goddesses= Recognized in Buhad Shanti Demi-Goddesses Protectors of devotees and Demi-Gods  Arihants- destroying - monks and nuns

 Reincarnation occurs until the soul is free from Concept of Afterlife karma.  The soul is liberated from karma through the through scale of perfection. Liberation is known as moksa.  Once the soul has been through various stages of reincarnation, and karma has been removed, can be reached.  Good Afterlife- liberation  Bad Afterlife- Reincarnation  (Original teachings)

 Tattvartthasutra- included the fundamental concepts of a Jain believer  jiva, , , , , , moksa, punya, and papa

 Maharira was the source of the teachings of all Jains.  Jainism first began in India, and the majority of believers are in India today. Over six million followers were involved and it is still increasing in present time.  During Mahavira's lifetime, Jains remained confined to the area of modern Bihar, India, and nearby territories.  Although the majority of Jains are in India, many have moved to Europe and North America.

 The largest collection of Jains today live in India. There are about 4.2 million believers in India alone today.  There are 25,000 Jains in England today.  In the United States, there are about 75,000 Jains.

 Jainism is very similar to the other main Indian religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. Although there are similarities, Jainism is not a branch of any other religion.  Some similarities between Jainism and Hinduism include basic beliefs, occupations, attire, and language. Significant differences include scriptures, purpose of worship, and attainment of salvation.  Both Jainism and Buddhism opposes animal sacrifice and do not believe in a creator god. Nature of religion and concept of the soul are a few differences between Jainism and Buddhism.  “Jainipedia” http://www.jainpedia.org/themes/principles/jain- beliefs.html  “Jainism Facts” http://www.religionfacts.com/jainism/facts  “Patheos Library” http://www.patheos.com/Library/Jainism  “Lord Mahavir and Jain Religion” http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/mahavira.html  “Jainsamaj” http://www.jainsamaj.org/  “Jainism and Other Religions” http://www.jainworld.com/jainbooks/antiquity/jainorel.htm