Beliefs

Jainism propagates that every human is responsible for his/her actions and all living beings have an eternal soul, jīva. Jains believe all souls are equal because they all possess the potential of being liberated and attaining Moksha. Tirthankaras are role models only because they have attained Moksha. Jains insist that we live, think and act respectfully and honor the spiritual nature of all life. Jains view God as the unchanging traits of the pure soul of each living being, chiefly described as Infinite Knowledge, Perception, Consciousness, and Happiness (Ananta Jnāna, Ananta Darshana, Ananta Cāritra, and Ananta Sukha). Jains do not believe in an omnipotent Supreme Being, creator or manager (kartā), but rather in an eternal universe governed by natural laws.

Jains hold that this temporal world is full of miseries and sorrow and hence in order to attain lasting bliss one must transcend the cycle of transmigration. Otherwise, one will remain eternally caught up in the never-ending cycle of transmigration. The only way to break out of this cycle is to practice detachment through rational perception, rational knowledge and rational conduct.

Jain scriptures were written over a long period of time, but the most cited is the Tattvartha Sutra, or Book of Reality written by the monk-scholar, Umasvati (aka Umāsvāmi) almost 1800 years ago.

Compassion for all life, human and non-human, is central to Jainism. Human life is valued as a unique, rare opportunity to reach enlightenment. To kill any person, no matter what crime they committed, is considered unimaginably abhorrent. It is the only religion that requires monks and laity, from all its sects and traditions, to be vegetarian. Some Indian regions have been strongly influenced by Jains.

History suggests that various strains of Hinduism became vegetarian due to strong Jain influences [8].

Anekantavada, a foundation of Jain philosophy, literally means "The Multiplicity of Reality", or equivalently, "Non-one-endedness". Anekantavada consists of tools for overcoming inherent biases in any one perspective on any topic or in reality in general. Another tool is The Doctrine of Postulation, Syādvāda. Anekantavada is defined as a multiplicity of viewpoints, for it stresses looking at things from others' perspectives.



Figure 3: Jain Flag

The flag of Jainism has five colours: White, Red, Orange, Green and Dark Blue (or Black).These five colours represent Panch-Parmeshthi (the five most respectable and ideal categories of persons in Jainism).· White represents Arihant (souls who have reached the state of non-attachment towards worldly process)· Red represents Siddha (Souls which attain Salvation i.e. liberated souls)· Orange represents Acharya (Head of Jain Sect)· Green represents Upadhyay [those who teach scriptures to sadhus and sadhvis i.e. Religious Professors within sect]· Dark Blue (or Black) represents Sadhu (Monks & Nuns)There is the swastika in the centre of the flag. It represents the four states of existence of life. The three dots above the swastika represent the three jewels of Jainism: Samyak Darshan (Right Faith), Samyak Gyan (Right Knowledge), and Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct).Respect for Jain Flag is respect for Panch-Parmeshthi. According to Jainism, respect for Panch-Parmeshthi destroys the sorrow of the four states of existence and finally guides one to the sweet home of infinite bliss and pleasure.