Jainism Flashcards
ajiva
Nonsoul, nonconsciousness;
also referred to as “matter” or “karma.”
anuvratas
Five vows modeled on the
great vows of the renouncers (nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonattachment, chastity) but modified to
make them practicable in lay life.
Arhat
A perfected, omniscient being
(male or female) who teaches the Jaina
dharma while embodied in the world
and who upon death will attain moksha.
All the Jinas were called Arhats during
their final incarnation on earth.
caturvidhyasangha
(“Fourfold community”) The community consisting of
monks, nuns, lay men, and lay women
chakravartin
Universal monarch; one
who governs the world ethically.
Digambaras
Early Jaina sect with its
own sacred scriptures; identified by
male mendicants’ practice of nudity
gunasthanas
Stages or steps of spiritual progress, numbering 14 in all.
Jina
(“Conqueror”) An epithet for the
24 ascetic prophets who conquered
the world of desire and suffering and
taught the path to eternal happiness;
alternatively called Tirthankara.
jiva
Eternal soul/consciousness; all
living beings are endowed with jiva.
Mahavira
a (“Great Hero”) Epithet of the twenty-fourth and final Jina of the present time cycle, born Vardhamana Jnatrpura in the sixth century BCE.
Mahavira Jayanti
A joyous spring festival celebrating the birth of Mahavira
mahavratas
The five “great vows”
adopted by renouncers: absolute nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing,
nonattachment, and celibacy
mendicants
Jaina men and women
who renounce all worldly attachments
to seek self-realization (and eventually
moksha) by pursuing the difficult path
of detachment and nonviolence. Male
mendicants (monks) are called sadhus
or munis, and female mendicants
(nuns) are called sadhvis
moksha
The ultimate goal of the Jaina
path: release from the cycle of birth
and death; nirvana.
Namokar Mantra
The central prayer
in Jainism.
paap
Karmic particles of an inauspicious nature (“bad karma”)
pratikramana
Ritual practice of repentance.
punya
Karmic particles of an auspicious nature (“good karma”).
renunciation
The Jaina ideal: the giving
up of all worldly attachments (family,
friends, wealth, pride, etc.) in order to
pursue the path of detachment and nonviolence. Though a powerful ideal for all
Jainas, it is practiced fully only by mendicants; also referred to as shramanism.
Rsabha
The first Tirthankara of the
current time cycle; also called Adinath.
sallekhana
A ritual fast to death undertaken voluntarily, usually in old
age or illness
samsara
The endless cycle of rebirth
from which Jains seek release
samayika
A desired state of equanimity; ritual practice of meditation.
samyak darshan
Right vision, faith,
or intuition into the basic truth of the cosmos; spiritual growth depends on
the attainment of samyak darshan.
siddha loka
Final abode of the liberated jiva
shramana
A renouncer; one who
has given up worldly attachments to
pursue spiritual release.
Svetambara
One of the two early sectarian nodes within Jainism; mendicants wear simple white robes. Women can also find enlightenment. They also have 6 groups of canonical texts and don’t belief in the transhuman state of Mahavira. Rahter after his enlightenment he was still under the people. Enlightenment dpes not mean that the mendicant doesn’t need food or drinks
Tatthvartha Sutra
An important philosophical text accepted by all Jaina
sects, composed by Umasvati in the
second century CE.
Tirthankara
(“Ford maker”) Epithet
for the 24 Jinas who, through their
teachings, created a ford across the
ocean of samsara
upvas
(“To be near the soul”) A term
used to denote ritual fasting.
Three Jewels
- samyak darshan (right vision)
- samyak jnana (right knowledge)
- samyak caritra (right behaviour)
These three are meant to be pursued in order to be enlightened
