Jainism: Beliefs, Practices, and Ties to Buddhism and Hinduism

Introduction to Jainism

Most people are familiar with the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, but the religion of Jainism, although enjoyed by nearly as many followers, is not as well-known. Similarly, while most people know something about the practices and beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism, very few individuals know anything about Jainism.

Core Beliefs and Practices

Jainism is a well-established religion largely based on the concept of non-violence, which is one of its five great vows (Long, 2009). The other four vows are non-attachment to material things, no lying, no stealing, and the promotion of sexual restraint. Regarding sexual restraint, celibacy is considered to be the ideal.

Followers of Jainism view the world as a highly integrated unit. They believe that all living things — including animals and plants — possess a living soul, and that humans, animals, and plants all exist on an equal level. This belief places a strict duty on its followers to treat all living things with equal respect.

Jainism also embraces the process of reincarnation. This process is defined by the goal of attaining a state of ultimate liberation, which enables one to escape the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. One remains involved in this cycle until ultimate liberation is achieved; once that state is reached, one lives on in an eternal state of bliss.

Jainism is practiced without the benefit of a clergy, which is a common arrangement in Eastern religions. Neither Hinduism nor Buddhism has priests or ministers. Also like Buddhism, there is no deism in Jainism. Each individual member of the religion is responsible for his or her own progress toward ultimate liberation, and there is no concept of God.

Jainism and Hinduism: Similarities and Differences

There is a very close relationship between Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. As the three religions have co-existed beside each other for many centuries, the existence of significant similarities among them is not surprising.

Both Hinduism and Jainism have similar theories regarding reincarnation and the concept of salvation (Cush, 1999). They also share similarities in dress and ornamentation, cultural activities such as games and other forms of amusement, their outlook on life and daily behavior, and various superstitions. Many of their holidays and religious festivals are quite similar and occur at approximately the same time of year. Both religions maintain a vegetarian diet as part of their daily practice. Although Jainism does not recognize the strict caste system observed in Hinduism, there does exist an informal system similar in character. This system limits marital possibilities and social contacts for members of Jainism.

There are also dissimilarities between Jainism and Hinduism. Neither religion recognizes the sacred books of the other. In fact, Jainism differs significantly from Hinduism in that it has no concept of a creator. Jainism lacks any concept of God, while Hinduism offers worship to several different forms of deity. In Jainism there is no ritualistic sacrifice of animals, as there often is in Hinduism.

Conclusion

There are more similarities between the three religions than differences, but each has nevertheless sustained itself as a clearly identifiable religion. For those unfamiliar with these traditions, they may appear to be one and the same, but for members of each religion, their individual faith's identity is of great importance.

References

Cush, D. (1999). 'Learning from' the concept and concepts of a religious tradition: Jainism in the RE curriculum. Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion and Education, 60–74.

Jamison, D. (2003). Jainism and Buddhism. In D. Jamison, A Companion to Environmental Philosophy (pp. 52–66). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Long, J. D. (2009). Jainism: An Introduction. London: I.B. Tauris.