Jainism

monk

A monk is a man who renounces worldly life and is ordinarily a member of a monastic order or community, thereby undertaking a special commitment to study, service, asceticism, prayer, or disciplined spiritual practice. In the Buddhist tradition, fully ordained monks are called bhikkhus, those who beg alms, depending upon the laity for their food and support. In the Jain tradition, ordained monks are called sadhus or holy ones; they traditionally live in close interaction with Jain laity, depending upon them for food and sustenance. In the Hindu tradition, a sannyasi is one who renounces... Read more about monk

Mahavira Jayanti

Mahavira Jayanti is the Birthday of Mahavira, the religious seer of the 6th century BCE, whose teachings of compassion and renunciation have formed the basis of the Jain tradition. In India, this day, which falls in either April or May, is a national holiday. Jains mark the occasion by bathing the image of Mahavira and performing dance-dramas on the fourteen dreams of Mahavira’s mother before he was born.

jiva

Jiva means the life-force, the vital breath, or the soul. According to various Jain and Hindu traditions, every sentient being possesses a soul or jiva which is caught up in an ongoing cycle of birth and death, shedding the body time and again. The ultimate goal is to leave this cycle of rebirth behind through the liberation of the soul from all that obscures its true, perfect nature.

svadhyaya

Svadhyaya means self-study. Because of the rules prohibiting Jain monastics from traveling by mechanical means, the lay community in the United States has had to take greater responsibility for its religious education. It has done so by forming lay-led svadhyaya study-groups which meet in family homes or Jain centers to discuss commentaries on Jain scriptures or to listen to lectures given by Jain scholars.

Digambara

The Digambara tradition is one of the two major branches of Jain monasticism, the other being Shvetambara. Each has its own community of lay followers. The two monastic groups began to emerge as early as the 4th century BCE, although the split was not finalized until many centuries later. Unlike their Shvetambara, “clothed in white,” counterparts, Digambara monks were “sky-clad,” renouncing even clothing and remaining completely nude.

Shvetambara

The Shvetambara tradition is one of the two major branches of Jain monasticism, the other being Digambara. Each has its own community of lay followers. The two monastic groups began to emerge as early as the 4th century BCE, although the split was not finalized until many centuries later. Unlike their Digambara counterparts, the monks of the Shvetambara or “white clad” tradition do not practice complete ascetic nudity. Instead, they don two pieces of white cloth.

brahmacharya

In the Hindu and Jain traditions, brahmacharya means the celibacy and self control undertaken by a student of sacred knowledge.

Prakrit

Prakrit is an ancient vernacular language of India, akin to the more classical Sanskrit. It is the language in which the Jain scriptures are written.

ahimsa

Ahimsa means non-violence and is a central ethical precept for Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists. For the Jain tradition ahimsa is especially important. It includes keeping a strict a strict vegetarian diet and avoiding occupations such as farming that may involve the unwitting destruction of life. Jain monks and nuns carry a variety of brooms, taking special care not to heedlessly crush tiny insects as they sit or walk. Some will even wear a white cloth mouth-covering to avoid inhaling microscopic organisms. Close contact with the Jain community in his native Gujarat influenced Mahatma... Read more about ahimsa

Murtipujak Shvetambara

The major division of Jains is between the Shvetambara and Digambara traditions. The majority of Shvetambaras are Murtipujaks who, as their name indicates, perform puja (worship) before the murtis (images) of the Jinas or Tirthankaras.

mantra

A mantra is a sequence of spiritually-potent sounds or syllables used for meditation, prayer, or to accompany ritual enactments. Mantras are important in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. The repeated oral or mental recitation of a mantra is said to concentrate the awareness of the practitioner, thereby disclosing the roots of consciousness or awakening the power of a divine reality. Mantras also play a central role in ritual and magical practices. In the Buddhist tradition, a mantra may contain within it the sacred power and cosmic energies of a Buddha or bodhisattva. The mantra... Read more about mantra

kevalajnana

In the Jain tradition, kevalajnana or kaivalya is the supreme, omniscient knowledge of the self and the universe. A person who has attained such enlightenment, called a kevalin, can comprehend the past, present, and future states of all objects, not only knowing their deeds and desires, but also their various forms upon successive rebirths. Tirthankaras have attained kevalajnana and have become teachers of this path of realization.

Jaina Association of North America

The Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) is an umbrella organization encompassing the approximately 60 Jain centers in the United States and Canada. Since its first meeting in 1981, JAINA has held conventions every two years in various cities. Its publication Jain Digest chronicles the activities of North America’s Jain communities.

tirtha

A tirtha is a spiritual “ford” or “crossing place,” and, by extension, a place of pilgrimage, often situated on a riverbank, a hilltop, or in a place of special natural beauty. There are many Hindu and Jain tirthas in India and, increasingly, in the United States.

Gandhi, Virchand Raghavji

Virchand Raghavji Gandhi (1864-1901) represented the Jain tradition at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. He proved to be a very eloquent spokesman for his tradition at the Parliament and on a subsequent lecture tour to major U.S. cities. V.R. Gandhi returned to India in 1895 and came once again to lecture in the U.S. in 1896.

Pages