Spiritual Teachings of the Mahavira

      The most important attribute of both Jainism and Buddhism is in the adoption of a simple and logical attitude of virtuous behavior for salvation of the soul. Good, ethical conduct takes the place of the mystical power of the Divine. The realization that such conduct alone brings peace of mind and permanent joy then leads one toward the path of liberation of the soul. One takes the responsibility of self-improvement in one’s own hands and works diligently toward that end. This has been described as rational understanding, or samyak dristi. The path is long and laborious; one must follow, step by step, through many vows and acts of self-restraint (virati). Jainism does not believe in God as an individual identity but rather as an ideal.75 The phenomenon of God is projected as the divine virtue, which has been hailed in Hindu philosophical thought as well.

     To their credit, Jain and Buddhist monks roamed across the country, carrying the message of religion and spirituality to the masses, rather than expecting the seekers to come to them in the Himalayas or other distant places. The main teachings of Jainism are presented below.
The Namaskar Mantra (the Fivefold Obeisance)
• Salutations to the prophets (arhats).
• Salutations to the liberated souls (siddhas).
• Salutations to the preceptors (acharyas).
• Salutations to the religious instructors (upadhyas).
• Salutations to all the saints (sadhus).
Precepts on the auspicious
• Auspicious are the prophets.
• Auspicious are the liberated souls.
• Auspicious are the saints.
• I take refuge in the prophets.
• I take refuge in the liberated souls.
• I take refuge in the saints.
      The highest degree of reverence and veneration toward sages and monks has been observed throughout the ancient cultures of India. The Spiritual teachings of Jainism are mainly based on the earliest religious philosophies of ancient India, when asceticism and renunciation became the hallmark of spiritual practices. Material and corporeal passions were disfavored in place of moral and virtuous activities.

• Sensuous enjoyments yield momentary pleasures but cause prolonged misery.
• Supreme forgiveness, supreme humility, supreme straightforwardness, supreme truthfulness, supreme  purity, supreme self-restraint, supreme austerity, supreme renunciation, supreme detachment, and supreme continence are the ten characteristics of (Jain) Dharma
• His forbearance is perfect who does not get excited with anger, even when terribly afflicted by celestials, human beings, and animals.
• I forgive all living beings; may all living beings forgive me. I cherish friendliness toward all and harbor enmity toward none.
• I beg pardon from one and all if, due to attachment and aversion, I have been ungrateful to them or if my speech has been inappropriate and objectionable.
• A monk who does not boast even slightly of his family lineage, looks, caste, learning, austerity, scriptural knowledge, and character practices humility.
• He who is always cautious not to insult others truly commands respect. A person who merely boasts but has no virtues cannot command respect.
• He who does not think deceitfully, does not speak deviously, does not act dishonestly, and does not hide his own weaknesses observes the virtue of straightforwardness.
• A person suffers misery before lying, while lying, and after lying. Thus, the result of lying is endless misery.
Similarly, a person who steals or a person who is lustful also suffers misery and finds himself without support.
• We call him a Brahmin who remains unaffected by objects of sensual pleasures, even while surrounded by them, like the lotus, which remains unaffected by water though living in it.
• He who observes the most difficult but pious virtue of celibacy is neither infatuated nor attracted, even on observing feminine charms.
• The soul is the begetter of both happiness and sorrow; it is its own friend when it treads the path of righteousness and its own enemy when it treads  the forbidden path.
• Fight your own self. What will you gain by fighting with external foes? One who conquers one’s self, he alone experiences supreme bliss.
• One should not be complacent with a small debt, a slight wound, a spark  of fire, and insignificant passion, because what is insignificant now may soon become uncontrollable. Conquer anger by forgiveness, pride by humility, deceit by straightforwardness, and greed by contentment.
• Service to the preceptor and elders, avoiding the company of ignorant people, scriptural study, solitude, contemplation on the meaning of holy texts, patience—these constitute the pathway to emancipation.
• Those who take wholesome and healthy food in less quantity never fall sick and do not need the services of a physician. They remain engaged in their internal purification.
• Knowing the worldly objects as bounds of the soul, the aspirant should proceed in his life with extreme caution.
As long as the body remains strong, he should use it to practice self-restraint. When the body is devoid of its strength completely, he should renounce it without any attachment, like a lump of clay.
• Not to kill any living creature is the quintessence of all wisdom. One has to understand this much: that equanimity based on nonviolence is the essence of Dharma.
• All beings wish to live and not to die; that is why Dharma prohibits the killing of living beings.
• Just as you don’t like pain, others too don’t. Knowing this, treat others with care, respect, and compassion, as you treat yourself.
• After listening to scriptures, a person knows what are good and evil deeds, and having known both, he should practice that which is conducive to  reaching the highest goal.
• Right conduct is really what constitutes religion.
• The seven vices [from which a householder should abstain] are (1) sexual conduct with a woman other than one’s own wife, (2) gambling, (3) taking intoxicants, (4) hunting, (5) uttering harsh words, (6) giving disproportionate punishment, and (7) misappropriation of others’ property.
• One should desist from buying stolen goods, inciting another to commit theft, avoiding the laws of the State, use of false weights and measures, adulteration, and counterfeit currency.
• One should refrain from accumulation of unlimited property due to insatiable greed, as it becomes a pathway to hell and results in numerous faults. A righteous and pure-minded person should not exceed the self-imposed limit in the acquisition of land, gold, wealth, servants, cattle, vessels, and pieces of furniture.
• Meaningful activities do not cause as much bondage as meaningless activities.
• Charity is said to be of four kinds—that of food, that of medicines, that of scriptural teachings, and that of protection to all living beings.
• Carefulness in speech consists of avoiding slanderous, ridiculous, harsh, critical, boastful, and meaningless talk as such carelessness brings good neither to oneself nor to others.
• To get up at the arrival of an elder, to welcome him with folded hands, to offer him [an honored] seat, to serve him with a feeling of reverence—these constitute humility.

NOTE: All quotes are adapted from Thus Spake Lord Mahavir,
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chenai India, 1998

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