Facets of Faith: Ancient religion from India teaches peace by avoiding violence to all

In December, I gifted myself the 2023 Interfaith Calendar from the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago. It marks holy days of many religions, information I often need for Facets of Faith.

Each month, it features art and information about a religion, and June is about Jainism, a religion I haven’t written much about.

Jainism is a nontheistic religion, similar to Buddhism. It started in India in the sixth century and is still practiced.

The religion holds there is a soul that needs to escape the effects of karma and thus successive lives by achieving enlightenment. Devotion to an ascetic lifestyle, avoiding passion and attachments, helps one achieve perfection and avoid injury to living creatures.

• Jains observe Hindu festivals as well as their own. Its beliefs overlap Hinduism and Buddhism, but with its own interpretation of things.
• Jains teach that every living thing has an eternal soul and a temporary body.
• Nonviolence is taught: Peaceful coexistence of all living beings and reverence for all life forms are part of Jain life. Physical and mental violence are to be avoided. This is called ahinsä. Jains are vegetarians as part of this belief. Jain scripture says, “Do not hurt, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture or kill any living being inclusive of plants.”
• While Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu, he was greatly influenced by Jain thought, especially nonviolence.
• A second major principle is anekäntväd, which emphasizes freedom of thought, belief and speech.
• A third principle is parigraha parimän, which teaches nonaccumulation, which leans toward interdependence.
• Other principles include seeking and speaking truth, restraint and chastity in all areas of life, and honesty — never taking anything by force or deceit.
• The name Jainism derives from the Sanskrit verb ji, “to conquer.”
• The Jina or Spiritual Victor, are the people who have achieved enlightenment. 24 Jina serve as omniscient spiritual teachers and organizers.
• About 100,000 Jains live in the United States, and sources estimate there are between 6 and 10 million Jains worldwide. Jainism spread around the world in the 20th century, moving to Kenya, Uganda and other African countries. In the 1960s, many followers moved to the United Kingdom, where they built the first Jain temple outside of India.