Lord Mahavir

Jainism is one of the oldest religion in the world with its origin in Indian subcontinent, which goes back to 3000 BC.

Ahimsa or Nonviolence in thought, action, and deed is the fundamental principle in Jainism. Jains believe he or she who has conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion and has thereby freed his or her soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth and ability, achieve the ultimate goal. Humans are expected to act responsibly towards all life by being compassionate, ego less, fearless, forgiving, and rational.

Jain religion focuses much attention on Aparigraha, non-possessiveness towards material things through self-control, self-imposed penance, abstinence from over-indulgence, voluntary curtailment of one's needs, and the consequent subsiding of the aggressive urge.Jains believe that there were 24 great teachers the last of whom was Lord Mahavira

who lived during 6th century B.C. Born in a princely family all the comforts of life were available to him but child Mahavir did not evince interest in worldly pleasures. After twelve years of service penance Lord Mahavir gained enlightenment. Thereafter he devoted his life in preaching dharma and the path of liberation to the masses.

Lord Mahavir said, "If you kill someone, it is yourself you kill. If you overpower someone, it is yourself you overpower. If you torment some one, it is yourself you torment. If you harm someone, it is yourself you harm." A wise man knows this and so he does not kill, nor does he overpower or torment anyone.

Lord Mahavir has emphatically declared that one weapon may be stronger or superior to another, but the path of Ahimsa or Nonviolence remains unsurpassed. Fire cannot be put out by fire. It is our duty to stop adding fuel to the fire. Jain scriptures say that a piece of bloodstained cloth cannot be washed with blood, we need water to do it. To achieve peace, world peace, we have to stop the race of armaments and we have to have an unshakeable faith in the effective validity of Nonviolence.

Jains believe in reincarnation. Their souls, which are believed to be a unique substance in the universe, take different living forms in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. This cycle has been going on forever, the universe has no beginning or end, and it has always been and always will be. The ultimate goal is to get rid of one's karma on their soul so that they may end this cycle. Once this goal is reached their soul has attained all knowledge and it rests in the heavens forever (Nirvana).Jains are strict vegetarians. Jain diet which is regarded as a means of survival, involve minimum amount of harm to plant kingdom.

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