Jainism is
an ancient religion that originated in India whose followers attempt to attain ultimate
liberation by escaping the continuous cycle of reincarnation. They believe that the way to
achieve this is to eliminate karma, the principle of cause and effect that makes actions lead to
suffering, from their souls. Their practices include strict vegetarianism, nonviolence, not
stealing, not lying, non-attachment to possessions, sexual restraint, and respect for all
animals and plants as containing living souls.
Jainism does not have a single
person who would be called the founder of the religion. Instead, Jains recognize great teachers
called tirthankaras. The Biblical equivalent of the term would be prophets. In what is
considered the present age, there have been twenty-four tirthankaras, and in cosmic ages before
this one there have been many more. The first tirthankara of this age, Adinatha, also known as
Rishabhanatha, supposedly lived millions of years ago. The exact birthdate of the twenty-fourth
and most recent tirthankara, Mahavira, is not known. Some scholars estimate it around 540 B.C.,
while others say it was in 599 B.C.
Mahavira is often
credited as the founder of Jainism in its present form. However, it would be more correct to say
that Mahavira was a reformer who made the ancient practice of Jainism popular and applicable to
the time in which he lived. According to tradition, after he achieved enlightenment, Mahavira
became a teacher and established a community of tens of thousands of monks and nuns, and in the
centuries that followed, Jainism spread throughout western and central
India.
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