Jainism

Question 1

what is the basic world-view of Jainism?

Answer 1

Derived from Hinduism it is about karma and cyclical time but Jainism rejects the Vedas and Caste system

Question 2

what word is Jainism derived from

Answer 2

Jinas, jinas are spiritual victors, human born onto the earth to correct things when the world is going downhill or worsening

Question 3

who was the first Jina

Answer 3

Rishabh deva, he introduced marriage, family, agriculture, asceticism, math to the world

Question 4

another word given to Jinas

Answer 4

Tirthankaras, meaning “bridge-maker” bridge to enlightenment between light and death

Question 5

who was the last Jina

Answer 5

Mahavira

Question 6

what is the life of Mahavira

Answer 6

Born to a king &
queen in the foothills of India. The queen gives birth to Mahavira after a series of dreams and raises him
in a life of luxury. Living Hindu lifestyle, he thought there must be something more than palace life, so he leaves home to be a wandering monk and practices extreme asceticism by fasting from
food and sleep and other necessities. He went naked at all times in all weather, and plucked out all his hair (some jains
still do this)

Question 7

what was Mahavira in a previous birth

Answer 7

a lion

Question 8

who shares a similar story to Mahavira?

Answer 8

Siddhartha
-Buddhism, also born to a king, born from miraculous dreams, both escaped the palace to practice asceticism. Some speculate Mahavira and Siddhartha are the same person interpreted differently.

Question 9

did Mahavira achieve moksha

Answer 9

yes after 12 years

Question 10

the fundamental beliefs of Mahavira

Answer 10

triloka system, karma, moksha, self-reliance, subjective knowledge

Question 11

what is the triloka system

Answer 11

three realms one might be born into through samsara/reincarnation. karma indictates which realm you’ll be born into

Question 12

what symbol do the jains use and why

Answer 12

The Swastika, has 4 dots meaning -4 forms you can be born into (human, god, animal, demon)
-4 different types of Jains (monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen)
-means good luck and fortune

Question 13

what makes Jainism Karma diff then buddhist or hindus?

Answer 13

-intentional and unintentional acts cause karma
karma is a piece of matter that clings to your soul like a speck of dust

Question 14

jiva and ajiva means?

Answer 14

jiva means soul and it is weighted down by karmic dust. Ajiva is the world. Karmic dust binds jiva to Ajiva

Question 15

what is the goal of jainism

Answer 15

is to erase the karmic dust so the soul can rise above this world (jiva can rise above ajiva)

Question 16

analogy of the blind men and elephant

Answer 16

An elephant enters a village and 6 blind men want to know what it is, but they all feel different body
parts. The first man feels the tusk and says it is like a sword. The second man feels the trunk and says no its like a giant snake. The third man feels the ear and says no it’s a giant sail. The 4 th man feels the leg and says it’s a tree. The 5 th man feels the backside and says it’s a giant wall. The 6 th feels the tail and says they’re all wrong and it is a fly swatter. A 7 th man who is not blind stands back and says they are all partially correct, but he can see the whole picture. According to Jainism, most of us are like the 6 blind men and we can only see glimpses of moksha. The 7 th man who can see the whole picture is someone who has achieved moksha already.

Question 17

As such, traditional
Jainism is akin to what form of Buddhism?

Answer 17

-Teravada Buddhism (only way to achieve moksha is through efforts)
modern jains dont believe this though because of Jinas can erase bad karma and aid moksha

Question 18

an important jain to whom many show reverence and devotion to is?

Answer 18

Bahubali.
who is the son of Jina Rishivaveva who gave up his goal for the title to his brother and become a renunciate. he practiced extreme asceticism

Question 19

how do jains show reverence to Bahubali?

Answer 19

Jains make pilgrimage to these statues and bring flowers , pour perfumes and colors

Question 20

what place can jains devote themselves to heavenly figures?

Answer 20

Ranakpur Temple in India

Question 21

five mahavratas

Answer 21

ahimsa, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual purity and aparigraha

Question 22

ahimsa

Answer 22

means non-violence, and the symbol if a hand represents to think about how your actions affect others before you do them

Question 23

ahimsa influence Gandhi by?

Answer 23

because Ghandi believed all religions led to the same divine force. he was drawn to Jainism with non-violence towards humans and animals, bit not when it came to microscopic beings

Question 24

how does ahimsa relate to animals

Answer 24

Many Jains are strict vegetarians

Question 25

How does ahimsa relate to insects and microscopic beings?

Answer 25

Jains believe killing insects intentionally or unintentionally creates karmic dust, and they want to avoid that by not killing them. wearing masks, dust of a chair, avoid bathing. fire destroys so one should not cook

Question 26

sallekhanna

Answer 26

fasting until death, being alive causes harm to microscopic beings

Question 27

aparigraha

Answer 27

no posessions

Question 28

Digambaras

Answer 28

(sku cald) believed this included no clothing, mostly for the monks, who would be naked or “sky clad”, and they emulate previous Jains like Mahavira and Bahubali who are always depicted as naked. -women cannot achieve moksha -women would wear white cause there is no use going naked -hope they would be reborn as a man in the next life so good karma -Mahavira became a diamond

Question 29

Svetanbaras

Answer 29

"white clad" naked. Svetambaras believed one could still possess clothing as long as it was white and simple. mahavira has his old body