Jainism

"Non-violence and kindness to living beings is kindness to oneself. For thereby one's own self is saved from various kinds of sins and resultant sufferings and is able to secure his own welfare."

"Jainism: In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self."

"If one does not wish to destroy one’s soul, then one should not destroy living creatures."

"Another version of Namokar Mahamantra"

"Obeisance to the Arihants, perfect souls –Godmen Obeisance to the Siddhas-liberated bodiless souls Obeisance to the masters-heads of congregations Obeisance to the teachers-ascetic teachers Obeisance to all the ascetic aspirants in the universe This fivefold obeisance mantra destroys all demerit And is the first and foremost of all Auspicious recitations."

"Namo Arihantanam - White Color: Arihant is a perfect human being. White color represents Arihant. The white color is the mother of all colors; it is a blending of all colors. It represents pure knowledge."

"Siddhanam - Red Color: Siddha is a pure consciousness or a soul without any Karma attached to it. Both Arihant and Siddha are known as Gods in Jainism. Red color represents Siddha."

"Namo Airiyanam - Yellow and Orange Color: Acharya is a head of the Jain congregation. It symbolizes the organizational power,Yellow or orange color represents Acharya. Both Yellow and Orange show wisdom, power to accomplish the goal, and discipline or strong will power in the life."

"Namo Uvajjhayanam - Green and Blue Color: Upadhyay is a teacher, which shows how to awaken powers and maintain balance of body, mind, and soul. Green or Blue color represents Upadhyay."

"Namo Loe Savva Sahunam - Black Color: Sadhu (monk) is a spiritual practitioner. The practitioner must be protected from worldly attachments and must destroy negativity. Black color represents monk. Black is the absence of all color. It is receptive, consumes negativity, and gives the strength to fight negativity."

"The Five Great Vows (Maha Vrata): At the time of initiation Sadhus and Sadhvis take five major vows and live strictly in accordance with their vows. These vows are: Ahimsa Maha Vrata (Vow of absolute non-violence), Satya Maha Vrata (Vow of absolute Truthfulness), Asteya or Achaurya Maha Vrata (Vow of absolute Non-stealing), Brhmacharya Mahavrata (Vow of absolute Celibacy) and Aparigraha Maha Vrata (Vow of absolute Non-attachment)"

"In historical times Vardhamana Mahavira who according to tradition was born in 599BCE, explained this religion but he was not the first to reveal its principles which are said to have always existed. Though a distinct religion, it has some similarities with Hinduism."

"Jainism has a complex classification of Jnana or knowledge, and the means of understanding reality."

"Like Hinduism, Jain cosmology believes in a series of Kalpas or cycles of existence which are divided into twelve eras, a term similar to manvantaras of Hinduism. According to Jain tradition, Jainism is revealed anew in every kalpa through twenty-four Thirthankaras..."

"Some foolish men declare that the creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill advised and should be rejected. If god created the world, where was he before the creation? If you say he was transcendent then and needed no support, where is he now? How could god have made this world without any raw material? If you say that he made this first, and then the world, you are faced with an endless regression."

"Māhavīra proclaimed a profound truth for all times to come when he said: "One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water and vegetation disregards his own existence which is entwined with them." Jain cosmology recognizes the fundamental natural phenomenon of symbiosis or mutual dependence, which forms the basis of the modern day science of ecology. It is relevant to recall that the term "ecology" was coined in the latter half of the nineteenth century from the Greek word oikos, meaning "home", a place to which one returns. Ecology is the branch of biology which deals with the relations of organisms to their surroundings and to other organisms. The ancient Jain scriptural aphorism Parasparopagraho Jīvānām (All life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence) is refreshingly contemporary in its premise and perspective. It defines the scope of modern ecology while extending it further to a more spacious "home". It means that all aspects of nature belong together and are bound in a physical as well as a metaphysical relationship. Life is viewed as a gift of togetherness, accommodation and assistance in a universe teeming with interdependent constituents."

"All breathing, existing, living, snteint creatures should not be slain nr treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away. This the pure unchangeable law."

"All beings hate pains; therefore one should not kill them. This is the quintessence of wisdom; not to kill anything."

"May the sacred stream of amity flow forever in my heart. May the universe prosper - such is my cherished desire. May my heart sing with ecstasy at the sight of the virtuous. And may my life be an offering at their feet. May my heart bleed at the sight of the wretched, the irreligious, and my tears of compassion flow from my eyes. May I always be there to show the path to the pathless wanderers of life. Yet if they should not hearken to me, may I bide in patience. May the spirit of goodwill enter into all our hearts, May we all sing in chorus the immortal song of human concord"

"Right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct (together) constitute the path to liberation."

"Saṃsāra bhavanā: "Endless is the cycle of transmigration; painful is every form of life; there is no happiness in any of the four conditions of existence; devas, human beings, animals and residents of hells are all involved in pain and misery of some kind or other; moksha alone is blissful and free from pain; the wise should, therefore, only aspire for moksha ; all other conditions are temporary and painful." (Page. 52)"

"Substance is the sub-strate of qualities which cannot exist apart from it, for instance, the quality of fluidity, moisture, and the like only exist in water and cannot be conceived separately from it. It is neither possible to create nor to destroy a substance, which means that there never was a time when the existing substances were not, nor shall they ever cease to be.(Page. 15-16)"

"Having mastered the teachings and got rid of carelessness, one should live on allowed food, and treat all beings as one oneself would be treated; one should not expose oneself to guilt by one's desire for life; a monk who performs austerities should not keep any store"

"Subdue yourself, for the self is difficult to subdue; if your self is subdued, you will be happy in this world and the next. Better it is that I should subdue myself by self-control and penance, than be subdued by others with fetters and corporal punishment"

"The binding of animals, all the Vedas, and sacrifices, being causes of sin, cannot save the sinner; for one's works are very powerful. One does not become a Shramana by the tonsure, nor a Brahmin by the sacred syllable aum, nor a Muni by living in the woods, nor a Tapasa by wearing kusha-grass and bark. One becomes a Shramana by equanimity, a Brahmin by chastity, a Muni by knowledge, and a Tapasa by penance. By one's actions one becomes a Brahmin or a Kshatriya or a Vaisya or a Sudra."

"The foundation of Jainism has been attributed by Occidental historians to Mahavira. - Heinrich Zimmer"

"There is truth in the Jaina idea that their religion goes back to a remote antiquity, the antiquity in question being that of the pre-Aryan so called Dravidian period, which has recently been dramatically illuminated by the discovery of a series of great Late stone Age cities in the Indus Valley, dating from the third and perhaps even fourth millennium B.C. - Heinrich Zimmer"

"परस्परोपग्रहो जीवानाम्"

"Understanding and faith and conduct and asceticism: this is the path taught by the Jinas who have perfect knowledge. Understanding and faith and conduct and asceticism: those souls who follow this path go to liberation."

"The Buddhists or the Jains do not depend upon God; but the whole force of their religion is directed to the great central truth in every religion, to evolve a God out of man. They have not seen the Father, but they have seen the Son. And he that hath seen the Son hath seen the Father also."

"Swami Vivekananda appreciated the role of Jainism in the development of Indian religious philosophy. In his words, he asks: "What could have saved Indian society from the ponderous burden of omnifarious ritualistic ceremonialism, with its animal and other sacrifices, which all but crushed the very life of it, except the Jain revolution which took its strong stand exclusively on chaste morals and philosophical truths?"

"In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self, and should therefore refrain from inflicting upon others such injury as would appear undesirable to us if inflicted upon ourselves. This is the quintessence of wisdom; not to kill anything. All breathing, existing, living sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away. This is the pure unchangeable Law. Therefore, cease to injure living things. All living things love their life, desire pleasure and do not like pain; they dislike any injury to themselves; everybody is desirous of life and to every being, his life is very dear."

"The principal tenet of Jainism is non-harming. Observant Jains will literally not harm a fly. Fundamentalist Jainism and fundamentalist Islam do not have the same consequences, neither logically nor behaviorally."

"Jainism actually is a religion of peace. The core principle of Jainism is non-violence. Gandhi got his non-violence from the Jains. The crazier you get as a Jain, the less we have to worry about you. Jain extremists are paralysed by their pacifism. Jain extremists can't take their eyes off the ground when they walk lest they step on an ant... Needless to say they are vegetarian."

"Take the religion of Jainism as one example. The Jains preach a doctrine of utter non-violence. While the Jains believe many improbable things about the universe, they do not believe the sorts of things that lit the fires of the Inquisition. ... Of course, many Christians believe that a harmless person like Martin Luther King, Jr., is the best exemplar of their religion. But this presents a serious problem, because the doctrine of Jainism is an objectively better guide for becoming like Martin Luther King, Jr., than the doctrine of Christianity is. While King undoubtedly considered himself a devout Christian, he acquired his commitment to nonviolence primarily from the writings of Mohandas K. Gandhi. In 1959, he even traveled to India to learn the principles of nonviolent social protest directly from Gandhi's disciples. Where did Gandhi, a Hindu, get his doctrine of nonviolence? He got it from the Jains."

"If you think that it would be impossible to improve upon the Ten Commandments as a statement of morality, you really owe it to yourself to read some other scriptures. Once again, we need look no further than the Jains: Mahavira, the Jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the Bible with a single sentence: "Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being." Imagine how different our world might be if the Bible contained this as its central precept. Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries, on the basis of a theologically defensible reading of the Bible. It is impossible to behave this way by adhering to the principles of Jainism."

"A rise of Jain fundamentalism would endanger no one. In fact, the uncontrollable spread of Jainism throughout the world would improve our situation immensely. We would lose more of our crops to pests, perhaps (observant Jains generally will not kill anything, including insects), but we would not find ourselves surrounded by suicidal terrorists or by a civilization that widely condones their actions."

"Gandhi’s adherence to the philosophy of non-violence, non-possession, community welfare throughout his life can directly be attributed to the basic teachings of Jainism."

"The basic principle of Jainism is ahimsa (non-violence), which is also the principle of Vaishanavism that was followed by his [Gandhi] family."

"...the true nature of this great religion can be understood only if we emphasize not so much the broad divisions into Digambar and Shvetambar denominations but direct our probe into the importance and rationale of small sub-divisions. There are two major factors behind the unity of Jainism despite these divisions; one, attempts by all to unravel the original philosophy and practice of the devotees of Jin, and, two, the overarching philosophy credo of the many – pointed nature of truth (anekanta and syadavad) in Jainism."

"Discipline is the root of religious practice."

"There is nothing mightier in the world than karma; karma tramples down all powers, as an elephant a clump of lotuses."

"The essential metaphysical ideas of Jainism are nine cardinal principles. The universe is divided into that which is alive and conscious (jiva) and matter which is not (ajiva). Jivas (souls) are either caught by karma (action) in the world of reincarnation (samsara) or liberated (mukta) and perfected (siddha). Though their number is infinite, jivas are individuals and each potentially infinite in awareness, power, and bliss. Matter (ajiva) is made up of eternal atoms in time and space which can be moved and stopped."