Describe three beliefs key beliefs of Jainism and/or Sikhism. How similar are these beliefs to those...

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Describe three beliefs key beliefs of Jainism and/or Sikhism.How similar are these beliefs to those found in Hinduism?

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In the ancient world the Jain tradition was known as the Sramana tradition The sramanas were ascetics who led pure and austere lives without possessions wandering from place to place and subjecting themselves to rigorous austerities and selfdiscipline They focused on renouncing the causes of sin and suffering to achieve liberation from pain and the cycle of births and deaths Through the teachings of Parsvanatha and Mahavira the last two of the 24 Thirthankaras the tradition grew into an organized religion attracting a sizeable following in various parts of the Indian subcontinent To those who are familiar with Hinduism the beliefs and concepts of Jainism sound familiar making one wonder whether there was any connection between the two in some remote past There is an argument that Jainism was a popular ascetic tradition of India with its roots in prehistoric times whose beliefs regarding soul nature of existence liberation austerities time karma and incarnation of souls found their way into Hinduism directly or indirectly and enriched it greatly with a strong spiritual and philosophical base In this article we will discuss some of the important concepts and core beliefs of Jainism by knowing which we will gain a fair understanding of how it differs from Hinduism ains acknowledge a three tier universe consisting of an upper middle and the lower worlds The universe is eternal and indestructible It has no creator and it is indestructible From time to time some aspects of it however may undergo changes The upper world is known as siddhasila inhabited by eternally free and pure souls who remain permanently in a state of pure bliss and peace The middle world is inhabited by embodied beings such as humans plants animals and beings with inert bodies inanimate objects subject to the law of karma The lower world is inhabited by beings passing through various stages of punishments for the sin they incurred upon earth They return to our world of embodied souls when their punishment is complete Jains view the world in which we live to be full of misery and suffering and the souls that inhabit it are not free because they are attached to matter or substance and vulnerable to the inflow of karmic matter As the Akaranaga Sutra describes the living world of ours is afflicted miserable difficult to instruct and without discrimination In this world full of pain the individual beings suffer by their different acts Jiva and Ajiva Jainism views the whole universe in terms of two eternal independent indestructible and coexisting components Jiva and Ajiva which are similar in some respects to the concept of Purusha and Prakriti of the Samkhya school Jiva is interpreted differently as being embodied soul and conscious soul Ajiva is the lifeless inert matter having qualities See Answer

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