Essays on Jainism

Buddhism, like all the other Eastern religions, originated from “Animism”, which is the belief that everything in the universe has an essence, a spirit or a soul. As a way of life, it is similar to the other religions in promoting morality, generosity, kindness, harmony, and respect for all living beings including mother nature. Alike Hinduism, Buddhism believes in the following: 1. Reincarnation, wherein the soul is reborn into another body based on the level of spiritual attainment from the previous life. 2. Karma, which is either the positive or the negative effects of an individual’s actions. 3. ...

I selected ‘Nature of God’ from World View Chart as it is the key factor of religion. Here the word ‘nature’ means the perception of God in different religions, not the relation between God and his devotees or how God is espoused to act or behave in relation to humans as per different religions. How different religions theorize the nature of God is important. Without studying this factor we cannot understand why there is a conflict between different religions and whether this conflict is natural or misconceived.

What is religion?

Before we analyze different religions we need to have a coherent view ...

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Ahimsa: From the Perspectives of Buddhism and Jainism

Introduction The concept of ahimsa is a concept of nonviolence with roots arising from the belief system of Hinduism. Nevertheless, Gandhi (169) and Kaur (2) suggested that all religious traditions worldwide agree that ahimsa can be a profound basis of human survival. However, historically, it has experienced certain variations as understood and practiced in latter belief systems such as Buddhism and Jainism. In the next section, the general but essential concept of Ahimsa will be presented in its entirety as contributed and reinforced in Buddhism and Jainism. It will be followed by two ...

Introduction

Dubai is considered to be the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE. It has been mapped on the Southeast Coast of the Persian Gulf. Among the seven emirates, it is only Dubai and Abu Dhabi that have the veto power over matters of national importance. Over the recent years, Dubai has been gaining economically and it has become an established transport hub for passengers as well as cargo. In addition to transportation, it is rich in oil whose revenue started to flow since 1969. ...

The concept of God in Jainism is multifaceted at best. According to Jainism, the universe together with all that is in it are all eternal objects (Flügel 975). Consequentially, all these objects lack a starting point or an ending point. Additionally, Jainism holds to the view that the universe self manages itself based on the cosmic laws with the substances in the universe undergoing modifications all by their own. According to this school of thought, nothing in the universe can be destroyed or created (Wiley 150). This belief in effect eliminates the need of a creator or deity ...

Out of all the world's religions, Jainism is one of the eldest. This system of beliefs is a mixture of strong philosophy with ethics and religious ideas. In contrast to theistic religions like Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, Jainism does not have any particular God. It is a human and self-oriented religion, with its ultimate goal consisting in breaking the limits of suffering i.e. in purifying the own karmic body. The Jain way of achieving a higher state of understanding and consciousness is based on three main pillars or as they are called "three jewels": deep faith, right knowledge, ...

Reflection 1

The number of problems facing translation of Sanskrit to English in terms of philosophy is legion. However, these problems are bound to occur in a field such as philosophy where every idea is always available for lengthy debate. The above fact, however, does not change the fact that there are indeed some words that make a difference in their translation. It should be noted that while philosophy is universal, the languages are not. Translators of Indian philosophy should, therefore, put arrogance aside and take their time to fully consider the meanings of words before publication to prevent serious confusion of future ...

South Asia is the origin of world’s oldest living religions. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism are among the world’s earliest living religions. These ancient religions originated in India. Daoism of China (4th Century BCE), Shintoism of Japan (5th Century CE), and Confucianism of China (6th Century BCE) are new religions. All these religions thrive in harmony without any religious strife among their followers even as there are differences among them. The principle of harmony is ingrained in all these religions.

HINDUISM

Hindus got their religion from the Vedas, and Vedanta is the most important feature of Hinduism. The Vedanta philosophy ...

Religion has been seen as disempowered and in decrease in the cutting edge world, its implications no more applicable inside the overwhelming mainstream perspective and institutional temples losing control of social life to common bodies (i.e., secularization, privatization). However religion (or secularization) may not be so static or bound together a marvel as awhile ago thought (this may be an outcome of advanced Western inclination, as, for instance, Talal Asad contends; of the (liberal) separation of social order, dividing the religious and the common, characterizing the previous as bound together conventions concerned with profound, private convictions, not handy, open issues). ...

The basic point of the Jain confidence is to immaculate the spirit, which is possible just by taking after the teachings of the Jinas. Jains accept that the 24 Jinas uncovered the fundamental truths of the universe and gave direction to arriving at liberation from the cycle of resurrection. Indian canvases and original copies delineate the sacrosanct universe of the Jain religion.paintings made for adherents of Jainism, a religion that rose nearby Buddhism in the sixth century BC, are among the most outwardly striking of all Indian workmanship. They incorporate expansive and vivid maps of the universe, delineations of ...

Daoism and Confucianism

Daoism (or Taoism) is both a religion and a philosophical indigenous tradition of Chinese origin which urges people to live in harmony with nature. It is an attitude towards life that is carefree, accepting and joyful. This religion has shaped Chinese culture for so long and has also found its way into Asian cultures. Daoism has a core of self-reflection and devotes energy to introspection. Daoists are prominent critics of Confucian activism. Confucianism is an ethical, philosophical system as well as a religion that developed from the teachings of Confucius. It is built on the core of morality, ethics, and activism. It encourages ...

Hinduism is one of the Indian religions, which is often described as a totality of religious traditions that have emerged in the India and have common features. Hinduism has its roots in Vedic, Harappa and Dravidian civilization, which is why it is called one of the oldest religions of the world or event the oldest. In Hinduism there are many scriptures and books that are divided into two categories: Sruti and Smriti. Important Hindu texts are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, "Ramayana", "Mahabharata", "Bhagavad Gita" and Agamas. According to Hinduism, there is Brahman - the supreme spirit, the supreme ...

When I entered this course, I had very little idea about Jainism. I only knew that most Jains were devout vegetarians, and some wore white clothes. The three important things I learned from this course are the codes of living which the Jains follow devotedly such as ahimsa, satya – asteya and aparigraha. I especially found the concept of satya and asteya very captivating. It is interesting to think of leading single day of complete truthfulness as a vow. Whereas, I do follow asteya by not stealing, truthfulness is much harder to practice, and while I do try to follow ahimsa, ...

Religion refers to the firm belief in spiritual beings that ties human beings into a community. Religion forms the bedrock of cultural systems which gain shape on the basis of religious beliefs and rituals that people belonging to a particular culture are required to adhere. Religion is also responsible for the formation of one's identity which defines a person's individuality. There are different definitions of religion available for common usage. However, the most used definition is "Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life" (Robinson 2013). There are several religious faiths ...

According to Fisher, (1999) the ideas of Li, Filial Piety, Wu Wei, Feng Shui, and Oharai can be discussed as follows. Li involves some of the Confucian rituals and courtesy, which show that an individual’s behaviour has cosmic importance. Filial Piety involves respecting elders as well as indicating how a person should conduct him/herself towards their parents. Feng Shui are the rules in Chinese philosophy that govern spatial arrangement in relation to patterns spiritual or earthly spirits based on a positive/ ancestral force or an earthly/ hungry ghost respectively. Wu Wei is considered as one of the concepts in Taoism ...

Originating in the Indian subcontinent, dharmic religions represent the cultural concepts of Indo-Aryan settlers. Each religion has its own distinct views on the spiritual nature of the human soul and karmic processes. While Buddhism denies the existence of the permanent soul, Sikhism, Hinduism and Jainism believe in its reincarnation regulated by karma. Such philosophical deviations were caused by the separate development of religious groups in different regions. According to karmic reincarnation in Hinduism, the fate of the Atman (soul) in each new life depends on its actions done during the previous incarnations. The law of karma states that ...

Every living entity most certainly has to die at some point or the other and yet there is very little we know about death, our soul, and what will happen to it after we die. The spiritual writings of almost every religion teach the followers about to how to prepare for death. The continuity of the soul is the underlying philosophy of these spiritual writings, and the inform human beings of which actions, behaviors, and deeds may lead their soul to heaven or hell after they die. In all the Eastern Indian religions, especially Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, this ...

Jain Center of South Florida

1960 N. Commerce Parkway #11

Weston, FL 33326

The worship usually occurs every day any time at the temple. I visited the temple on Sunday from 8am to 2 pm.

According to historians, Jainism is a religion that aroused between 6th and 9th century. However, the people who believe in this religion teach that the religion has been there long before and it will ever exist. It is believed that Jainism is a religion that emerged from the Indian society and then was adopted by some other people. The major believes of the religion is that all people should live in peace. This ...

Religions have been a part of every nation’s history and tradition since the start of civilizations. They have played key roles in creating tradition and belief, even influencing the creation of suitable government and laws for people to follow. These religions try to satisfy the question of the existence of life, the idea of what is God and the concept of spirituality and human responsibility. While some of them have considered that there is only one God or a Supreme Being that watches the existence of man and the presence of life and death, they still differ in understanding the ...

Jainism is a religion that is deemed to have originated in the famous Indus valley like many Indian religions. The religion is based on the principles of non-violence towards any living organism. The religion has categorized the mortal organisms into various groups depending on where they live. The religion emphasizes on non-violence due to the belief that every organism has a soul and can feel pain (Johnston, 52). The followers of this faith do not deem in the existence of a supreme being and instead believe that people decide their own destiny through individual efforts to shift the soul closer to divine ...

Buddhism

The religion was established in the sixth century before Christ. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian who was born in the North eastern part of India. He had tried the religious practices of the day that included extreme fasting, exposure to pain, meditations and engaging in philosophy but he did not find enlightenment. He had left his wife and children for spiritual quests to live in the jungle. He glanced at a river under a tree and he found a new path, which is known as Buddhism. He became an enlightened being who was free from love of asceticism and ...