Hannah Boisvert, Sabrina Navarro, and Juanita Gallegos What is Jainism? 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 tirthankaras, Found which are the 24 great thinkers, begins with Rishabha and ends with Mahavira. 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 tattvas are the fundamental beliefs in Jainism. Other beliefs under the umbrella of the tattvas include karma, 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 dharma Demi-Gods Arihants- destroying karmas Tirthankara- 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, Nirvana can be reached. Good Afterlife- liberation Bad Afterlife- Reincarnation Purvas (Original teachings) Tattvartthasutra- included the fundamental concepts of a Jain believer jiva, ajiva, asrava, bandha, samvara, nirjara, 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 .