This Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrating 2614th birth anniversary of Mahavir Swami, the last and the main profounder of Jainism in the world. Vardhaman Mahavir with all his acts and beliefs brought forth a new way seeing life and religion. Jainism though stands in the minority section, but there are some astounding facts about it, which are worth being a part of your knowledge. Some might inspire you, while some might surprise you but in the end you would start respecting the virtues of this simple religion.
Here are a few astonishing facts related to Jainism.
1. Jain doctrine suggests that Jainism has always existed and will always exist. Neither any creator nor a god as judge is there, nor do Jains worship any particular being, but have a high regard for becoming liberated souls that have attained nirvana.
2. Jains consider all living beings, be it plant, animals or bacteria, all have souls, and supposedly, all souls have the possibility to attain nirvana
3. Jainism believes that there are multiple universes
4. In Jainism, the swastika has a dissimilar meaning than it does in the other Indian religions. The four quadrants/dots stand for the four gatis or states of existence (humans, heavenly beings, plants/animals/etc., and hellish beings).
5. Jain symbol also represents the Jain’s concept of multiple universes. From top to bottom, there is moksha (the realm of liberated souls), devaloka (the realm of heavenly beings), the mid-level where Earth exists, and naraki (the realm of hellish beings). Apart from moksha, one’s soul can anticipate to pass through any or all of these realms.
6. Apart from following vegetarianism, many Jains abide consumption of root vegetables, eggs, honey, mushrooms, unfiltered water, or mind-altering substances (drugs, alcohol).
7. A small number of Jains in India willingly fast to the death and that practice is called santhara, which is the strongest example of Jain extremism. The individuals give up their own corporeal being to avoid causing distress to other beings, especially plants.
8. There exist around 5 and 10 million Jains in the world.
9. Jains are the most educated religious group in India, and also the wealthiest in America.
10. In Jainism it is believed that one must treat all living beings with kindness and respect.
11. One of the chief influences on Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of satyagraha was Shrimad Rajchandra, a Jain who wrote one very important recent Jain religious texts, Atmasiddhi.
12. One thing which might bother many non-Jains is the predisposition of Jain clergy to go to excessive levels to avoid harming living beings. They go barefoot and carry a miniature broom to avoid killing insects in their ways. Many will wear pieces of cloth called muha pattis over their mouth while speaking to that the tepid air of their breath doesn’t agitate neighboring microorganisms in the air.
