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History and Essence of Jainism
Jainism
is a non-theistic religion that split away from Hinduism in the Indian
sub-continent at about the same time as Buddhism. This
ancient religion was passed on through the high spiritual genius of one of
the greatest religious teachers of all time, Mahavira. 3”Mahavira was not some imaginary being. He was a real man and we
know, with reasonable certainty, that his life on earth ended just over
2500 years ago, in 527 B.C. Though many dates have been speculated over the
evolution of Jainism. However, in this paper it is estimated that the
religion developed 2500 years ago. Mahavira was born in 599 B.C. into a
family of the ksatriya, or
knightly, caste. His father, Siddhartha, was a prince or lord, and his
mother, Trisala, also came from a noble family. His birthplace is believed
to have been near the modern city of Patna, in Bihar in north-eastern
India. Although generally referred to as Mahavira (which means 'great hero'), his original name was Vardhamana. Until his late twenties
he doubtless led a life not very different from that of any other young man
in his level of society.”
It is believed Mahavira
was a contemporary of the Buddha as described in the Buddhist works,
however, the Jain works have never mentioned about the Buddha. Mahavira lived for 72 years of which
for the last 30 years he was a teacher. The Jain works give some details
for the first 42 years of Mahavir's
life, but discuss little about his life as a teacher. Though Buddhist works
give few details of Mahavira’s life after he became a teacher. It is not
well documented as to how the Jain broke into two sects, the Digambaras and the Svetambaras. 4“According
to the account of the eighth schism, known as the great schism, which is
corroborated by historical evidence, the process of the split continued
from the third century B.C. upto the first century of the Christian Era. In
the third century B.C. famous Jain saint Srutakevali Bhadrabahu had
predicted a long and severe famine in the kingdom of Magadha (in modern
Bihar) and Bhadrabahu, along with a
body of 12,000 monks, migrated from Pataliputra, the capital of Magadha, to
Shravanabelagola (in modern Karnataka State) in South India.”
4“When the ascetics of Bhadrabahu returned to Pataliputra after the
end of twelve-year period of, they noticed two significant changes that had
taken place during their absence, in Magadha under the leadership of
Acharya Sthulabhadra. In the first place, the rule of nudity was relaxed
and the ascetics were allowed to wear a piece of white cloth (known as Ardhaphalaka). Secondly, the sacred
books were collected and edited at the council of Pataliputra specially
convened for the purpose. This relaxation of rule was unacceptable to the
ascetics of Bhadrabahu, eventually, the Jain religion was split up into two
distinct sects, viz., the Digambara (sky-clad or stark naked) and the
Svetambara (white-clad).”
5”The Jain of Gujarat and the neighboring areas emerging as the Svetambaras sometime in the 5th
century AD. By perhaps the 4th
century AD Jainism had spread to South India as well.”
British
Colonialism and Jainism
British
Colonial rule ushered in a period of general prosperity for merchant class.
The traditionally affluent Jain merchants benefited from this prosperity.
In spite of growing prosperity of Jain in 19th century & in
the beginning of 20th century, Jain population continued to
decline in India. It could be Jain merchants, in order to enlarge their
business and kin alliance frequently exchanged their
sisters and daughters with Hindu merchants and became part and partial of
caste system in India. It was also because basic Hindu influence and the
lay followers.
Many
of the views, rituals and festivals of the Hindus were appropriated by the
lay Jain. With that the boundaries between the two religions tended to
become blurred. 6“According to the 1921 census there were only
1.18 million Jain.”
Officially,
the category ’Jain’ was used for
the first time in the Census of India of 1881. The Census still remains the
only government institution which classifies the Jain as a separate
religious group. To raise the communal self-awareness amongst Jain, British
educated Jain reformers campaigned from the mid 19th century onwards for
the public self-identification of the Jain as ’Jain’, particularly at the time of the Census when many Jain,
for one reason or another, still identify themselves as ’Hindu’. The incentive of gaining
separate representations and other privileges that were granted by the
colonial and post-colonial governments to recognized religious communities
promised new avenues for the advancement of the political and economical
interests of the educated Jain elites and for the preservation of the Jain
religion.
7“In 1926, the reformer Hem
Chandra Rai noted in the Jaina Gazette that a "dark gloom of
ignorance is stunting the growth of our community to a fearful extent all
around. ... As matters stand the large majority of Jains are content with
rudimentary teaching of vernacular Pathsalas and schools, dotted all
over the country. Higher education is distinctly unpopular.” “According to
the mentality of the average Jain, college education is either unnecessary
or positively harmful. Some of our mentors try to frighten us into the
belief that the spread of [secular Western] education would lead to the
decay of religion." Rai argued instead that "College education
should not at all imply the elimination of religion from the life of the
youth, as some people imagine. On the contrary, religious training would be
a profitable adjunct of college careers.”
In
the light of this brief historical perspective the objective of the paper
is:
To
discuss Jainism in a historical perspective and methods of communication
for transmission and spread of Jainism starting from its inception (approx
2500 years ago) to its modern re-adaptation including digital media and analyze
how media and communication are being utilized for the spread of Jainism?
Essence and Meaning of
Jainism
8“Jainism believes in a
cyclical nature of the universe, a universe without a beginning, without an
end and without a creator.” Literally Jina
means a conqueror, that is, one who has conquered the worldly passions like
desire, hatred, anger, greed, pride, etc. by one’s own strenuous efforts
and has been liberated himself/ herself from the bonds of worldly
existence, the cycle of births and deaths. Jina, therefore, is a human being and not a supernatural being
or an incarnation of an all mighty God. Hence the term Jina is applied to a person who is a spiritual victor.
Jainism is founded upon the tradition
of Ahimsa (non-violence) to all living creatures. According to the Karma of an individual, the person
may live in any of the four states (heaven, Human, Animal, and Hell).
Release the soul or at least elevate it to a higher home in the next
reincarnation.
By means of the three jewels
(right faith, knowledge, and conduct) one can reach salvation, Sin on the
other hand, leads to a lower home for the soul in the next reincarnation.
Achieving Moksha (Salvation) or a
liberated soul is the ultimate aim of any living being commonly referred to
as the Siddh Lok (Free from the
cycle of birth and rebirth). 9”Jainism teaches a way to
spiritual purity and enlightenment through a disciplined mode of life and
is founded upon the tradition of Ahimsa, non-violence to all living
creatures.
The five ethics of Jainism
are:
Satya (pursuit of truth),
Asteya (non-stealing and honesty),
Aparigraha (non-possession and non-attachment) and
These are also called the
five Vratas
(vows) and have to be realized by mind, speech and body.
A distinction is drawn
between these ethics or Vratas
for the ascetic (saints, monks & nuns) and for the layman ( sravak). The saints have to practice the Vratas rigorously. But the sravakas have to and can practice with lesser
degree according to their worldly life.”
Jain Philosophy
10“The
nine tattvas or principles are
the single most important subjects of Jain philosophy. They deal with the
theory of karma, which provides the basis for the path of liberation.
Without proper knowledge of these tattvas,
a person cannot progress spiritually.
The Nine Tattvas
(Principles) are as follows:
|
Name
|
Meaning
|
|
1
|
Jiv
|
Soul
or living being (Consciousness)
|
|
2
|
Ajiv
|
Non living
substances
|
|
3
|
Äsrava
|
Influx
of karma
|
|
4
|
Bandha
|
Bondage
of karma
|
|
5
|
Punya*
|
Virtue
|
|
6
|
Päp*
|
Sin
|
|
7
|
Samvar
|
Stoppage
of the influx of karma
|
|
8
|
Nirjarä
|
Partial
exhaustion of the accumulated karma
|
|
9
|
Moksha
|
Total
liberation from karma
|
*Some scriptures
define Punya (virtue) and Päp (sin) not as separate tattvas. They include them in Äsrava and Bandha. In reality Punya
and Papa are the result of Äsrava and Bandha. Hence truly there exist only seven tattvas.
Samyaktva
or Samyag-Darshan (Right Faith)
is attained when one fully understands the six universal substances and
nine fundamentals.”
9“Jainism
has contributed to the philosophy of life in its insistence that the
pathway to perfection is threefold:
·
Samyak-Darshana
(right faith/right understanding)
·
Samyak-Jnana (Right
knowledge) and
·
Samyak-Charitra
(right conduct).
Jiyo
Aur Jine Do (live and let live) is the main slogan of Jainism
which was given by Bhagwan Mahaveer
about two thousand six hundred years ago.”
9“Jainism has two
principal quite different branches, the Digambara
(Sanskrit 'Sky-clad', naked) and the Svetambara
(Sanskrit 'White robed') Jains. The male Digambara ascetics wear no clothes, the Svetambara wear white robes.
Digambara worship idols in temples, whereas Svetambara in general are not
practicing idolatry and do not have temples.”
The essence of Jainism
discussed and described so far can be represented and explained by one of
the prominent symbols of Jainism known as Parosparopgraho Jivanam (Mutual assistance of all beings) as
indicated in Figure 1.
9Prominent Symbol in Jainism
Figure 1
Contributions of Jainism to the Indian
Culture
11“There are
three distinctive contributions of Jainism to the Indian Culture - Equality
(Sama), Self-control (samyamana) and Dignity of labor (Srama). Equality or Samayika is said to be the heart of
Jainism. In the Jaina religious
scripture, Dvadasang or in the 14th Purva, the place of Samayika is the first and foremost
among the six daily duties. Without the practice of Samayika or equality, there is no hope for any religious or
spiritual realization. When a householder accepts the Jaina religion, he solemnly pledges to abide by the principle
of equality. The three jewels of Jainism, i.e. Right Faith, Right Knowledge
and Right Conduct depend upon the principle of equality as indicated in
Figure 1. The Gita calls it the
inner poise or the evenness of mind (Samatvam),
or equal mindedness (Sama Cittatvam
or Samata) and such a man who attains this is called seer with an equal
eye (Samadarsinah or
Sarvatra-sama-darsana). This principle of equality must be reflected
both in thought and action. In thought it is the principle of Anekanta, in action it is the
principle of Ahimsa.”
Modes of Communication in Jainism
It is often said that Jain are very enthusiastic about
erecting temples, shrines or upāśrayas but not much interested in
promoting religious philosophy. Jain are especially interested in not the
modern academic study of Jainism.
Gradually this
trend is changing due to the demands of the information based economies of
the future, and because of the vast improvements in the formal educational
standards of the Jain in India. 7“In 1891, the Census of India
recorded a literacy rate of only 1.4% amongst Jain women and of 53.4%
amongst Jain men. In 2001, the female literacy rate has risen to 90.6% and
for the Jain altogether to 94.1%. Statistically, the Jain are now the best
educated community in India, apart from the Parsees.” Amongst young Jain of
the global Jain Diaspora, University degrees are already the rule and
perceived to be a key ingredient of a successful Jain. However, the
combined impact of the increasing education and of the growing materialism
amongst the Jain on traditional Jain way of life is widely felt and often
lamented. Daily sermons dominated traditional Jain religious education for
the spread and sustenance of the religious beliefs which were
responsibility of the mendicants. For centuries, and the few remaining Jain
Pandits, face an uphill struggle
to adapt to the rapidly changing social and cultural environment, and
sometimes choose to combine monastic and academic training to keep up with
the rising expectations of their followers.
Media and Jainism
The
Jain religion never spread beyond India though it was once patronised by
the princes of the Deccan dynasties, today there are only four to five
million Jain left, and these are largely limited to the states of
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The major reason for its
limited spread has been no use of modern means of communication for
centuries together. As this religion is based on the principle of Non
Violence, the practice of writing as well was avoided due to the pain
incurred to the microcosms.
After
Mahavira, Jain religion was
propagated through oral communication and through performance art and
repetition. Only in the last five hundred years, with the advent of writing
and printing has there been a major push to record and write the stories of
Jain religion, songs and poetry. This technology made available many Jain
books to its followers all over the world in early 20th century.
Spread through Print medium
One
important development in recent decades has been the publication of good
modern editions, often with translations into modern languages, of the
sacred books of Jainism, thus making the scriptures, formerly restricted to
monks, available to a wider public. The L.D. Institute of Indology in
Ahmedabad, is building up an
important Jain manuscript collection in original and microfilm. Jain courses and research facilities are
available to further the value and importance of this religion world over.
There are many modified and translated versions of religious scriptures on
Jainism available in the print format, which the Jain youth can read and
inculcated the Jainism philosophy in his/her modern lifestyle.
Spread through Radio and Television medium
Jain orthodoxy of restrained
movements overseas for the monks as well as the lay Jain had already taken
its toll in the expansion of the Jain population a few years back. Though
the doctrines of Jain philosophy have been very well documented in the
print media but this religion has much more to offer than intellectual
debates. Jainism as a religion is meant to guide people to lead a moral and
ethical life. Thus it’s a religion of philosophy and practice both. In this
fast paced life of the modern world it is unlikely to expect from a person
to go through the detailed philosophy of any religion. The Jain youths too
have faced a similar experience of confusion and frustration as they would
want to know more about the religion but have nowhere to turn to. Jain
studies have already been introduced in various universities and courses
but it does not full fill aspirations of a lifelong course of conduct for a
Jain youth. ‘Satsangs’ (Study
circles) have been there for the solution of the same since many years but
the youthwas not able to relate to this Jain way of life.
Religious reforms in the
Digambara sect brought about a revolution in the Jain community. They were
the first to allow religious scriptures being printed and published as
well. Many monks and nuns have travelled abroad in the recent past to
propagate the true essence of Jainism to the dispersed Jain population.
Further these religious gurus have even given their consent to appear on
television and radio to spread the messages of Jain Tirthankaras.
The process of privatizing the media offered a
particular model of communication that, undoubtedly has affected Jain
religious expressions. In public service the supreme criterion is the
presence of society and its institutions and respect for religious and
cultural traditions. Through this private service the objective is to reach
the largest audience in order to obtain the greatest profit.
There are many exclusive
Jain religious channels like Paras TV, Jinvani, Mangalam Jain TV being
launched to focus on issues like religion, spirituality, moral values,
health, art of living and principles of Jainism in simplest form, and
ensure that people, especially the youth, easily understand the preachings
and their importance. These channels telecast 2D and 3D movies and serials
based on Jain epics and historical and religious events to portray the
teachings and beliefs of Jainism. The Audio and Visual presentations of the
philosophy of Jainism have helped to reach out to a larger section of the
society (Jain and Non Jain) with practical applications of the same.
Jain Radio, Radio Podcast,
internet radio is there already in existence to deliver religious
discourses live as well as differed live. This has cut down on the time and
energy to travel down to various religious places and has given full
accessibility to the Jain community for their self enlightment.’ Jinvani’
was the first ever 24X7 internet radio carrying various programs such as Abhishek, Pooja, Lecture (Pravachan), Bhakti, Aarti, Samayik, Pratikraman, etc. throughout the day.
These programs are broadcast as per Jain religious practices followed in
India. Any lay person who has had no exposure towards Jainism can even
follow these preaching’s with ease as they are all developed keeping the
listener in view with effective communication skills, though the essence of
Jainism is not disturbed in these modifications.
Spread through New Media
“Jainism made its appearance
on the web around the end of 1994.”12
The
use of this new media was the next major transition. This came in as a boon
for the Jain who are a very small minority in the world. Jain’s the world
over have no Jain neighborhoods to support them; the Internet forms a new
form of neighborhood. A few years back Jainism was not so renowned in the
world (indeed even in India), but today, anyone, in any part of the world,
can access Jainism articles, texts, pictures, even music at the touch of a
button. The Jain too has adopted and embraced this enthusiastically.
The new media is
most used for the propagation of Spiritual and
Physical Quality of Life for the Jain community and Wider Community. It
creates a United Voice for the Jain and awareness of Jainism and their
values in the Wider Communities. These sites help in Networking
with the Jain Organizations, Local Community, Interfaith, Government and
Civic Society Leaders. All types of videos on Community Consultation,
Religious and Social functions (lectures, meetings, seminars and
conferences) classes and workshops help in the spread of the religion.
One can find upteem
number of blogs on Jain religion which help in propagating latest news about Jain’s, Jainism and related
issues; then there are blogs on
active Jain community working in the field of social work, animal welfare,
spreading vegetarianism, veganism and Jainism, education, upliftment of
downtrodden people and related fields; scholarly articles and essays on
Jainology are there on these blogs as well. Other than these many sites
have been developed on Jain pilgrimage centers, historical places,
religious tour, Jain Food Recipes, Jain Names, Jain Stories, Jain
Matrimonials and Jain Way of Life.
Going one step
ahead the Jain community has developed applications which help in keeping
track of the tithis (important
religious days), sermons of religious gurus, sunset and sunrise timings of
various part of the world, through mobile updates on a daily basis.
13“It
is too early to assess the social impact of the new culturally thinned-out
globalized versions of Jainism and of one trans-sectarian global Jain
community, which are significant primarily as regulative ideas. It can be
expected that traditional sectarian divisions will reemerge in the Jain
diaspora as soon as a critical mass of migrants is locally present. Conversions
to Jainism will probably remain exceptions. Yet the new global
reverberations of Jain ideals and practices of nonviolence as a paradigm
for alternative lifestyles are potentially immense.”
Summarizing Jainism and Media
With
the growth of modern communications there has been a notable development of
all Jain federations of various sorts. Jain scholarship, education and
writing have been introduced at all levels, simple aids for children,
learned editions of the sacred texts and university theses on Jain topics
are being created world over. Jain have become more conscious of the wider
public sphere. Jain sects are more concerned towards spread of knowledge of
the Jain religion and to encourage adherence to its principles. Parallel to
this there is a growing development of interest by scholars and others in
the West and by non-Jain in India. At present we find for the very first
time, Jainism been propagated to Africa, Europe and North America, where
Jain communities have migrated due to economic activities.
The foregoing analysis of
Jain religion in contemporary India reflects a discontinuous change from
oral communication for two millennia. Jain monks and lay Jain both have
adopted modern means of communication to reach both Jain and Non Jain
believers. Starting with print medium to the age of Internet, given the
economic, political and social power that they exert in India. Jain today
has gone all out for the spirit of Jainism and keeping the lay Jain well
informed to follow the fundamentals of Jainism. It has contributed in self
realization of Jain identity as a minority community within India and
abroad without creating religious animosity and imposition of religious
believes on others. The growing influence of media & communication
hopefully will influence lay Jain to be well informed.
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