Amity Business School

Semester ± III
Behavioral Science

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6 

 is an ancient religion of India that prescribes a path of non-violence
towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of
self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul
that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being
is called |
(Conqueror).

6 |ainism is also referred to as ë



 
 
 or the religion of
Nirgantha (who does not have attachments and aversions) by ancient texts.
|ainism is commonly referred to as |
 
 in Hindi and ë
 in Tamil.

6 The distinguishing features of |ain philosophy are its belief on independent

existence of soul and matter, denial of supreme divine creator, owner, preserver or
destroyer, potency of karma, eternal and uncreated universe, a strong emphasis on
non-violence, accent on relativity and multiple facets of truth, and morality and
ethics based on liberation of soul.

6 |ain philosophy attempts to explain the rationale of being and existence, the nature
of the Universe and its constituents, the nature of bondage and the means to
achieve liberation.

6 The goal of |ainism is liberation of the soul from the negative effects of
unenlightened thoughts, speech and action. This goal is achieved through
clearance of karmic obstructions by following the triple gems of |ainism - Right
Faith, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct or Action.
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‡ | : (conqueror) an enlightened being who has conquered material

existence and released the soul from the round of rebirth

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: a  who is a great spiritual teacher

‡
: a liberated soul
‡ O


: to become a | , thus freeing one¶s soul from the
material realm
± we can all become ³gods´ but these gods do not intervene or respond to
petitionary prayer
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‡ This Universe is made up of what |ains call the six a
 or substances which are the basic constituents of
reality and are classified as follows:

‡ |    - O


  

± |ains believe that souls (|) exist as a reality, having a separate existence from the body that houses it.
| is characterised by 
 (consciousness) and  (knowledge and perception). Though the soul
experiences both birth and death, it is neither really destroyed nor created. Decay and origin refer
respectively to the disappearing of one state of soul and appearance of another state, these being merely
the modes of the soul

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ë 

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 - Matter is classified as solid, liquid, gaseous, energy, fine Karmic materials and
extra-fine matter or ultimate particles. According to |ainism, it cannot be created nor destroyed.

6 u
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þ
 and

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+
 - Also known as 
    and a 
   , they
are unique to |ain thought depicting the principles of motion and rest.

6 X   - ë
- Space is a substance that accommodates souls, matter, the principle of motion, the
principle of rest, and time. It is all-pervading, infinite and made of infinite space-points.

6 O    - O

- Time is a real entity according to |ainism and all activities, changes or modifications can be
achieved only through time. In |ainism, the time is likened to a wheel with twelve spokes divided into descending
and ascending halves with six stages, each of immense duration estimated at billions of sagaropama or ocean
years. According to |ains, sorrow increases at each progressive descending stage and happiness and bliss
increase in each progressing ascending stage.
 Core Values of |ainism
‡ |inas believe that to attain enlightenment and ultimately liberation, one must
practice the following ethical principles (major vows) in thought, speech and
action.

6 Œ#


(Ahimsa) ± to cause no harm to living beings. This is the
fundamental vow from which all other vows stem. It involves minimizing
intentional and unintentional harm to any other living creature. It includes not
harming or insulting other living beings, either directly, or indirectly through
others.
6 O
(Satya) ± to always speak the truth in a harmless manner. A
person who speaks the truth becomes trustworthy like a mother, venerable like
a preceptor and dear to everyone like a kinsman.
6 Œ# 

 (Asteya) ± to not take anything that is not willingly given. Asteya,
non-stealing, is the strict adherence to one's own possessions, without desire
to take another's. One should remain satisfied by whatever is earned through
honest labour.
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 (Brahmacharya) ± to control the senses including mind from
indulgence. The basic intent of this vow is to conquer passion and to prevent the
waste of energy. In this vow, the house holder must not have a sensual
relationship with anybody other than one's own spouse.
6 Œ#

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 (Aparigraha) ± to detach from people,
places, and material things. Ownership of an object itself is not possessiveness;
however attachment to an object is possessiveness. For householders, non-
possession is owning without attachment, because the notion of possession is
illusory. The reality of life is that change is constant; thus, objects owned by
someone today will be property of someone else in future.
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uimpurity of the soul that keeps the soul bound to the cycle of
rebirth into matter
‡ O
 is built-up through actions in this world: thoughts, words,
deeds, attitudes
‡ Reduce and eliminate bad 
 so as to achieve 
(
)± release of the soul from the cycles of rebirth

‡ Three Guptis:
, Managupti: Control of the mind

‡ , Vacanagupti: Control of speech

‡ , Kayagupti: Control of body

 Two major sects
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6 |ainism advocates overcoming pesky vices like krodha or anger, mada or
vanity, kama or sex and lobha or greed. |ainism recommends the practice
of five principal virtues: Ahimsa or non-violence, satya or truth, achaurya or
non-covetousness, Brahma-charya or celibacy and aparigraha or non-
possession.

6 Anekant encourages tolerance and promotes inter-personal and communal

harmony. It ensures peaceful co-existence and makes us sensitive to
others¶ pain. We learn that there are many ways to reach the truth ² and
each way is legitimate in its own right.

6 Management gurus today are advocating the concept of the ³hot-air balloon
approach´ which is ³rising above oneself´ ² and this is an integral part of
|ain thought. Spiritual energy is needed for one to be successful in life.
Without this, we will find our- selves lacking in originality and creativity.

6 Individual character development, and good conduct and behaviour are held
to be very important in the evolution of one¶s personality and enable the
absorption of knowledge that is necessary to achieve self- realisation.
|ainism regards the individual and his social responsibilities as the key to
the progress of both the individual and society.

6 The other relevant doctrine is Anekantavada. It talks about visualising things

from different perspectives. It advocates discovering the truth after taking
into account all aspects.
 Status Of Women In |ainism
‡ The Role of Women |ainism:
1) Women, whether real or legendary, are an important component of |ain
culture. The |ain community includes two categories of women: mendicants
(sadhvis), who live on alms, and those living in society
From the evidence found in the oldest |ain texts, it appears that among the
Svetambara |ains, nuns have always been more numerous than monks. This
was true of the religious community surrounding the 24th |ina, Mahavira (6th -
5th century BC) and is also true today.
The inferior status of nuns compared to monks is a difficult question and
depends on the which order of |ainism they belong to. In theory and in practice,
nuns are subjected to more restrictions than their male counterparts.
Nevertheless, examples of prominent nuns as influential teachers, propagators
of the faith, writers and so on, have been, and still are, numerous.
|ain lay-women have in important role in the transmission of fundamental values
in the families. They have a command over dietary rules since they prepare the
food and offer it to mendicants as alms. They are seen in large numbers
attending the sermons of mendicants and organise themselves into groups for
singing and chanting religious hymns. They often draw from the wealth of |ain
stories and narrate them to young children.
‡ 2.
 believe that women cannot achieve liberation without first
being reborn as a man.
This is because: women cannot live a truly ascetic life, because they have
to possess clothes since it is impractical for them to live naked.

But although |ainism is in many ways dedicated to equality, for some |ains
a woman's very femaleness creates spiritual inequality.
The sectarian divide:
The Digambara |ain sect believes that women cannot achieve liberation
without being reborn as men first. The Svetambara sect disagrees.

‡ The difference is because Digambar asceticism requires nudity. As nudity is

impractical for women, it follows that without it they cannot attain moksha.
This is based on the belief that women cannot reach perfect purity
(yathakhyata), women are (if they are not clothed) vulnerable to attack and
rape by men. Their lack of clothes can, therefore, be a hindrance to their
leading a holy life.
 ïearnings
1. The first step to achieve harmonious interpersonal relations is Self
Awareness, Self Management, Self Control and Individual Character
Development.

2. Practice of tolerance, promotes inter-personal and communal harmony, it

ensures peaceful co-existence which further helps in achieveing team
cohesiveness.

3. Individual character development, and good conduct and behaviour are

held to be very important in the evolution of one¶s personality and enable
the absorption of knowledge that is necessary to achieve self- realisation.
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