Jainism

Examples of Jainism in the following topics:

• Jainism

  • Jainism is a pre-Buddhist religion with roots in the Sramana tradition.
  • The ultimate aim of Jainism is to achieve liberation of the soul.
  • The predominance of karma is one of the key features of Jainism.
  • Contemporary Jainism is divided into two major schools, or sects, called Digambara and Svetambara.
  • Followers of Jainism celebrate Paryushana at the Jain Center of America in New York City.

• The Rise of Hinduism

  • The Upanishads are a collection of Vedic texts that contain the earliest emergence of some of the central religious concepts of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
  • Sramana, meaning "seeker," refers to several Indian religious movements, including Buddhism and Jainism, that existed alongside the Vedic religion—the historical predecessor of modern Hinduism.
  • After the Gupta period, central power disintegrated and religion became regionalized to an extent, with variants arising within Hinduism and competing with each other, as well as sects of Buddhism and Jainism.

• The Sramana Movement

  • Sramana was an ancient Indian religious movement that began as an offshoot of the Vedic religion and gave rise to other similar but varying movements, including Buddhism and Jainism.
  • Sramaṇa traditions later gave rise to Yoga, Jainism, Buddhism, and some schools of Hinduism.

• Buddhism

  • Sramaṇa traditions (or its religious and moral practices) later gave rise to varying schools of Hinduism, as well as Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism.
  • In addition to the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha’s lifetime coincided with the flourishing of influential Sramana schools of thought, including Jainism.

• Ashoka's Conversion

  • Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the foundation of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.
  • In his edicts, Ashoka expresses support for all the major religions of his time: Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, and Ajivikaism.

• Sanskrit

  • Sanskrit is the primary sacred language of Hinduism, and has been used as a philosophical language in the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

• Harappan Culture

  • Some Indus Valley seals show a swastika symbol, which was included in later Indian religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.