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Religions of the World I: Jainism

Beliefs

Jainism...

Two main themes stand out in Jain belief:

Atheism: Jainism is a non-theistic spiritual path that does not worship any God or gods

• There is no concept of creation in Jainism and, thus, no creator God who rules the cosmos.

• Jinas who have advanced to a higher state of being are beyond interest in or concern for lower levels. The gods are acknowledged to exist but they do not interact with human beings and thus are of no help in our own spiritual advancement

• Prayer and ritual are seen as useless acts. Mahavira rejected the Hindu deities - the gods cannot help. Living a Jain life of peaceful detachment from material existence is the only efficient way to achieve liberation (unlike Hinduism’s four basic paths [yogas])

• But is Jainism really devoid of "gods"? Are their "gods" really gods? Check out these Jain websites for a more in-depth explanation:

• The Concept of God in Jainism

• Life of a Lay Jain (which includes a discussion of God and gods in Jainism)

What Jains do believe in is a dualism of spirit and matter:

Jiva (spirit, life) and Ajiva (matter): (cf. Purusha & Prakriti)

• A dualism which favors spirit over matter

• Jiva is the life giving soul (cf. atman), Ajiva is non-living matter

• Souls are imprisoned in matter by karmic buildup: karma is seen as a spiritual substance which adheres to our souls as a result of any activity we do in Samsara.

• Life (soul), to some degree, is found in all matter, even in rocks and other natural elements (life = consciousness)

• Levels of existence relate to degree of consciousness/knowledge which relates to the number of ways a being has of perceiving the world around it:

• six senses (5+mind/intellect) = highest being (humans, divinities, spirit entities)

• five senses (higher animals)

• four senses (lower animals, such as fish, who lack the ability to hear)

• three senses (lower insect life which lacks sight and sound)

• two senses (worms, mollusks and such which have only touch and taste)

• single sensed beings (touch only) including plants and the natural elements of earth, air, fire, water

• All souls are of the same substance, same quality. All souls have the same innate potential for knowledge but that potential is limited due to the body the soul is trapped in

• The goal is to release (liberate) those souls to roam free (Moksha)

• There is an infinite multitude of souls which are eternally independent from each other (even in the liberated state - unlike Hindu Moksha, there is no merging of all into one, there is no singular Ultimate Reality). 

• Such a liberated soul is the closest that Jainism comes to acknowledging the concept of gods. Although these "gods" may be revered by lay Jains, the true Jain ideal is to aspire to becoming such a "god" through one's own spiritual advancement.

• Only human beings can obtain release because only human beings have the capacity to understand the dual nature of their being and the need for liberation