The Life of Lay Persons

In Jain culture, lay persons cannot inflict harm on any form of life and are thus generally vegetarians.They are also expected to abstain from acts of violence and avoid any form of labor or activities where the destruction of life might occur.

Without practising the intense ascetism of nuns and monks, lay persons are nevertheless enjoined to live by vows known as the anuvratas or lesser vows which closely parallel the so-called greater vows taken by the nuns and monks.


Shantinatha the 16th Tirthankara
Meditating
Meditation also forms an integral part of Jain life. Jains practise a form of meditation known as Samayikawhich focus on establishing a peaceful state of mind.

Worship in the home as well as in temples also forms an important part of Jainism. Jain homes usually have wooden shrines that are modeled after the stone temples. Jain worship may involve the chanting of mantras or gazing upon an image of one of the gods known as the puja.There are also more elaborate rituals in Jain worship involving the decoration or anointing of images.

God and Gods in Jainism

Adherents of Jainism believe that all things in the universe are continuous, and hence eternal.In the philsophy of Jainism, there are neither beginnings nor endings in regard to time.The universe is self-perpetuating and operates in accordance with cosmic laws. Change is a part of universal law, and all elements in the universe undergo transformations and modifications of external forms. In this regard, Jainism subscribes to the point that nothing is either created or destroyed in the universe.

An omniscient god who is creator and destroyer thus has no place within the framework of this epistemology. Hence Jains do not believe in an almighty god. However, Jainism does subscribe to the belief of a perfect universal presence. Furthermore, Jainism teaches that humans too canattain a state of perfect beingness when they have succeeded in transcending the eternal cycle of ofkarma. The person who is liberated from the bondage of karmic law is then said to have become a liberated soul and achieved a state of bliss known as moksha.

All humans thus posses the potential of attaining god-likeness according to Jainism. Jains therefore do not have one but innumerable gods as more people attain liberation and transcendence from karmic bondage.


Ambika the Mother
Goddess

While adherents are taught to adhere to the call upon self-restraint and sel-reliance, they have, nevertheless, recourse for help from a large number of gods and goddesses who are evoked to help assist in worldly matters. One such deity is Ambika, the mother-goddess of Jainism who is the patron deity of material prosperity, child-birth and protector of women. Images of goddesses like Ambika, frequently adorn the temples to the tirthankaras and are usually connected with the supreme beings to whom the temples are dedicated.

Jain Art


Jain Painting
Painting of a Tirthankara
Painting in
the Kalpa Sutra

Jainism has a long and rich artistic history. Nuns and monks are not permitted to make art but lay artists have long been able to demonstrate their artistic talents in paintings, illumination of sacred texts, murals and votive objects. Many works are specially commissioned and paid for by lay persons who wish to earn merit through sponsorship of works depicting personalities and events from the Jain traditions.

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