JAINISM, jiniz'm, is one of the many re ligions of India, followed by only about one million people, mostly in the northwest region. It closely resembles Buddhism, being a reaction contemporary with it in the 6th century }lc., from the precedent Brahmanism. These revolts arose from several causes: (1) the Kshatriya (warrior-caste) sought release from the reli gious domination of the Brahman (priest caste) ; (2) Kshatriya philosophy rejected the Vedic deities; (3) the doctrine of non-injury. This last item gave to Jainism its outstanding trait. Softened by a tropical climate, human ized by a settled life in place of the old nomadic one, and driven by economy to abandon animal food, Indians had become increasingly reluctant to kill animals, except that the Brahmans natu rally still demanded them for sacrifice. This practice was condemned by the Jains, who then proceeded with that extravagance characteristic of every Indian activity to spare all animal life whatsoever, even when noxious. To that end, the Jaina monk is equipped with a broom to sweep insects from his path, and a veil to sift them from his mouth, besides the inevitable almsbowl. Nor may he kill or disturb insects feeding upon his body. Moreover, Jains sup port beast-hospitals in many cities of western India, where old or lame buffaloes, cows, goats, sheep, fowl, and hordes of vermin are housed and fed.
• Jainism was founded in the 6th century ac., by Nataputta, entitled by his followers Maha vira (Great Hero) and Jina (Conqueror). The son of a chieftain, he led a worldly life until at 30, upon the death of his beloved parents, he was so agitated by the seriousness of life that he left his wife and relatives and wan dered naked as a homeless ascetic. For 12 years he practiced the severest austerities with deep meditation, and was never moved to anger, though beaten by sinful men. Thus did he be come the Jina (Conqueror) and Kevalin (Per fect Sage).
The Jaina monk attains deliverance for his spirit from the bonds of flesh by following the triratna (three jewels) : knowledge, faith and virtue.
This knowledge teaches that the world con sists of eternal spirits and eternal atoms, with out any supreme being. Eight re-births, after becoming a Jaina monk will secure the spirit's release from matter; not for absorption into the absolute — as Brahmanism taught — nor for annihilation in Nirvana—as Buddhism taught —abut for something beyond human speculation; so that the Jaina was termed °the may-be phil osopher?' Such agnosticism has never flour ished among the credulous, imaginative Indians, who moreover, lack the mental discipline af forded by science. The second jewel is faith
which reposes in the word of their master, Mahavira, and the declarations of their scrip tures, the Agrunas. Virtue, the third jewel, consists of the five-fold conduct that results from such knowledge and such faith, namely: (1) to kill nothing whatever; (2) not to lie; (3) not to steal; (4) to abstain from sexual pleasures; (5) to renounce all the attachments of the senses. °What is discontent and what is pleasure? One should live subject to neither. Giving up all gaiety, circumspect, restrained, one should lead a religious life. Man ! Thou art thine own friend; why lookest thou for a friend beyond thyself ?)) Seven sects are classed as Svetambara (white-attire) in contrast with the Digambara (sky-attire) who migrated to the South where a more equable climate allowed them to make compulsory that nakedness which had been only recommended in the earlier texts. These may be the gymnosophists mentioned by Greek his torians, but nowadays they merely doff their upper garments during meals. There are other Indian ascetics, however, who still discard clothing, and are generally countenanced.
This monk-regimen was much tempered for the Jains laity, who in fact, were mostly pros perous tradespeople, farming being prohibited by the non-injury doctrine. But, furthermore, this extension of Jainism to include laity intro duced two important changes in the religion. First, to meet the religious needs of common folk, a worship of the founder, Jina, was insti tuted with temples, idols, festivals, and offer ings of flowers and incense. Second, the monks were compelled to abandon their homeless wan derings, in order to care for the souls of their resident laity. This in turn, led to the erection of temples, the most costly and delicately beau tiful in all India, as at Mount Abu, and the erection of cloisters where the leisured monks produced a varied literature. Thus does Nature, though expelled with a pitchfork, re turn in the end. Unlike Buddhists, the Jains maintain caste, some of them being even Brahmans.
Jacobi, H., °Jaina Sutras* in Vols. 22 and 45 of Books of the East,' gives translation of various scriptures, and an excellent introduction. (The Religions of India) by E. W. Hopkins, contains a section on Jainism and a bibliography of the numerous articles in various journals.