1) Vardhamana
born traditionally c.
540 OR 599, Kshatriya Kundagrama, India
died traditionally 468 OR
527 BCE, Pavapuri
Indian reformer of
the Jain monastic community, last of the 24 Tirthankaras, or saints, who
founded Jainism.
Photograph:Mahavira
enthroned, miniature from the Kalpa-sutra, 15th-century western Indian school;
in …
* Mahavira enthroned, miniature from the
Kalpa-sutra, 15th-century western Indian school; in …
Born into the warrior
caste, he renounced the world at age 30 for a life of extreme asceticism. He
had no possessions, not even rags to cover his body or a bowl for alms or food,
and after 12 years he attained kevala, the highest stage of perception. An
advocate of nonviolence and vegetarianism, he revived and reorganized Jain
doctrine and established rules for its monastic order. His followers made five
vows of renunciation (see Jain vrata).
(2)
Jainism
Religion of India established
between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE.
It was founded by
Vardhamana, who was called Mahavira, as a reaction against the Vedic religion,
which required animal sacrifices. Jainism's core belief is ahimsa, or noninjury
to all living things. Jainism has no belief in a creator god, though there are
a number of lesser deities for various aspects of life. Jains believe their
religion is eternal and hold that it was revealed in stages by a number of
Conquerors, of whom Mahavira was the 24th. Living as an ascetic, Mahavira
preached the need for rigorous penance and self-denial as the means of
perfecting human nature, escaping the cycle of rebirth, and attaining moksha,
or liberation. Jains view karma as an invisible material substance that
interferes with liberation and can be dissolved only through asceticism. By the
end of the 1st century CE the Jains had split into two sects, each of which
later developed its own canon of sacred writings: the Digambaras, who held that
an adherent should own nothing, not even clothes, and that women must be reborn
as men before they can attain moksha and the more moderate Svetambaras, who
retained a few possessions such as a robe, an alms bowl, a whisk broom, and a
mukhavastrika (a piece of cloth held over the mouth to protect against the
ingestion and killing of small insects). In keeping with their principle of
reverence for life, Jains are known for their charitable works, including
building shelters for animals. Jainism preaches universal tolerance and does
not seek to make converts. In the early 21st century Jainism had some 5 million
followers.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon