Jainism in a Nutshell

Mahavira also had a list of rules or commandments, that would help you get closer to enlightenment. They’re to be taken as vows, either the Anuvratas or the Mahavratas:

• Ahimsa (non-violence)

• Satya (truthfulness)

• Asteya (no stealing)

• Aparigraha (no possessions)

• Brahmacarya (chaste living)

The list seems like it’s nothing new until you realize the extent of it. The people who take the Anuvratas, are Jain lay members, whereas Mahavratas are taken by the ascetic followers.

Ahimsa was what Mahavira preached with the most fervour and it goes beyond what you may expect. It means that you cannot pluck a fruit from the tree, you are to eat whatever is already fallen to the ground. You cannot pull a vegetable from the ground. You may not harm anything, and hence the ascetic followers walk with a broom of feathers to sweep the ground they tread so as to not step on the tiny organisms on the ground. They wear masks to avoid inhaling the tiny creature. Absolute non-violence is the only path to nirvana.

The no possessions vow means you may not even possess clothes. The ascetic followers wear no clothes.

Jainism did not bother itself too much with religious notions. It preached Ahimsa with the highest honour and rejected the caste system that came along with Hinduism. It also helped bring about the vegetarian movement, and the ahimsa it upraised influenced people like Gandhi with the non-violence movement.

The religion did not gain a huge following due to its extreme nature, but it does continue to have millions of followers and remains to be an influential force.