Oh, you April Fool's Day pranksters!
Who had the first nuns? |
Bald, naked ascetic under a tree: Mahavira |
Jainism explained
Mahavira meets a naga (MGP) |
Jain monastics (sramanas or wandering ascetics, both nuns and monks, and there are possibly more females since Mahavira was the first to ordain women) are famous worldwide for their strict adherence to ahimsa or “non-harming,” “non-violence.”
Going as far as to sweep the floor with a dust broom as they walk to avoid stepping on any tiny lifeforms, covering their mouths as to not swallow [small bugs] or breathe hot air on [unseen] living creatures, and following a strict vegetarian diet that bans:
- all meat,
- all fish,
- all eggs
- all potatoes (and root vegetables and some fruits).
Who wouldn't prefer naked founder? |
The ancient Jain philosophy has garnered the eye of the modern world as their ideas of non-violence, strict vegetarianism (with many now becoming vegans), and what could be called an environmentalist outlook are strikingly relevant.
Jains have been highly influential in India for thousands of years, shaping its vegetarian-friendly diet and lending the concept of ahimsa to Gandhi's independence movement against the colonial British empire.
Naked Jain monk honors 24 Tirthankaras of history, jinas and mahaviras, Jains and great heroes |
Hey, Mahavira, really is naked. |
“Jainism” comes from the word Jina. Tirthankaras, those who cross over and bridge this dangerous side of the river and that safe side, allowing followers to move from samsara to moksha, from endless-rebirth to liberation.
They, the teachers, are the most important people in Jainism. They have removed all attachments to the world and during their lifetimes have managed to break free from the endless cycle of rebirth and death. It is this cycle, this endlessly turning wheel (samsara), that Jains believe keeps souls trapped in the world, going from one birth to another.
[Naked? White-clad versus sky-clad]
White clad vs. sky clad? Mahavira |
Sources
- Lindsay Jones, Encyclopedia of Religion Volumes 1, 3, 6, 7, 10
- Sherry Fohr, Jainism: A Guide for the Perplexed
- Paul Dundas, The Jains (the best book to read if only reading one)
- Lawrence A. Babb, Understanding Jainism
(Amazon.com put a copy limit on this, so I couldn't export my notes, and it took me hours to do it manually, and it made me angry, and this is the only way I can vent. Good book though 8/10, 9/10 with rice).
- Jain sacred texts: sacred-texts.com/jai
- Life of Mahavira: sacred-texts.com/jai/sbe2...
- Tattvas: sacred-texts.com/jai/9tat...
- Great Vows: sacred-texts.com/jai/5vow...
COMMENTS
QUESTION (John D.): How could Wisdom Quarterly turn their backs on the truth and follow some other dharma teacher?There's got to be a better way - ANSWER (Ashley W.): Well, it was either Mahavira and Jainism or Apollonius of Tyana the wandering sage of Saint Issa/Jesus' time and Mysticism. No one voted for Judaism, even the Ultra-Orthodox kind or the mystical Kabbalah, and Shamanism, which did get a lot of votes, is just so amorphous. We don't need more Occult mumbo-jumbo or Seeking but an actual path.
- QUESTION (Jane D.): Why not become Unitarian Universalists or Quakers? They're really liberal and open minded
- ANSWER (Ashley W.): It's true. There is no shortage of options. We also considered Vaishnavism Yoga, Celtic Nature Worship/Witchcraft/Paganism, the Flying Spaghetti Monster religion, Esoterica in general, Theosophy in specific, and our ever-present default option Animism, our fallback Atheism (or better still Dharmic Atheism), and our on-the-fence Syncretism or Agnosticism. But we love India (Bharat) and think that's the heart of the planet's spirituality.
- QUESTION (Reese Tarded): Have you thought about your future and God's plan for your salvation? I'd like to talk to you about eternity and the love waiting for you if you just accept this short little creed.
- ANSWER (Ashley W.): Take a hike, Reese.
- QUESTION (Reese Tarded): Are you saying Wisdom Quarterly is NOT converting to Jainism or anything else?
- ANSWER (Ashley W.): Yes, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Happy April Fools' Day. I still think we should have gone with the wandering sage Apollonius of Tyana personally; then it might have been more obvious we were being facetious. But Jainism is nice and Mahavira, if it weren't for the Buddha, would have been the greatest teacher of his day.
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Why have you scrolled this far down? No one reads down here. #India #Jain #Jainism #IndianHistory #Jains #VPN #NordVPN Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/creator. All images are taken from Creative Commons or used in accordance with fair use. If an image has been used without proper attribution, please contact by email or on twitter, and that will instantly bed resolved.
- Cogito (video), Aug. 31, 2019; Editors, Wisdom Quarterly: American Jain Journal, April 1, 2024
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