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 Jainism
is a religion founded a few decades before the Buddha's enlightenment
by the sage called Mahāvīra, 'Great Hero', by the Jains themselves
and Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta by the Buddhists (D.I,57). Although
Mahāvīra and the Buddha often talked to or debated with each
other's disciples, they never met directly. Jainism and Buddhism have
much in common and it is clear that the Buddha was influenced to some
degree by this gentle ascetic faith. However, Mahāvīra taught that
any act, intentional or not, creates kamma, whereas the Buddha
taught that only intentional actions have a kammic effect. From this
difference between the two religions many others follow. The Buddha
was also critical of the self-mortification practised by Jain
ascetics. Despite disagreements with Buddhism over these and other
philosophical questions, Jainism like Buddhism, has always been a
tolerant faith. A popular Jain work, the Nāladiyā, says:
‘Cows are of different shapes and colours but the milk they give is
always white. Religious sects are many and various but they all teach
the life of virtue.’ For several centuries the two religions vied
with each other for supremacy but eventually Buddhism won and Jainism
ever after remained a minority religion. Today there are about three
million Jains in India, mainly in the western state of
Gujarat. There are also now small but vibrant communities of Jains in
the UK. |
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