sj2
|
|
response 2 of 3:
| 
Jan 11 06:57 UTC 2002 |
Jainism is not a combination of Hinduism and Buddhism, as it is a
contemporary of Hinduism and predates Buddhism by far.
From the beginning of time, India has been blessed with two parallel
streams of thought, the Vedic tradition and the Shraman tradition. The
Vedic tradition later accommodated the Brahmanic Upanishadic tradition.
Some would say that the Vedic tradition gave birth to the Brahmanic
Upanishadic tradition. Either way, that synthesis gave birth to the
set of religious philosophies known as modern Hinduism.
The Shraman traditon on the other hand, championed by Bhagwan
Rishabhdev, also known as Bhagwan Adinath, was preached by the
omniscient Jinas, and came to be described as Jainism. Bhagwan Buddha,
not satisfied with Hinduism, initially ordained himself as a Jain and
practised the rigorous asceticism as practised by Bhagwan Mahavir, the
last in the line of omniscient Jinas.
He decided, after a while, that the path of rigorous penance was not
for him, and founded his own Middle Path. His followers named this
wonderful new philosophy as Buddhism.
So it is clear that Jainism was far more ancient than Buddhism, and
very much a contemporary of Hinduism. The Rigved, considered by may to
be the most ancient extant Indian text, is replete with references to
Bhagwan Rishabhdev, as the great ascetic Rishabh. Almost all the Hindu
Purans carry reverent references to Bhagwan Rishabhdev. The Brahmi
script, possibly the oldest script in the world, was taught by Bhagwan
Rishabhdev to his daughter Brahmi. Bhagwan Rishabhdev's son Bharat
became a great King, and ruled the world. Our country is named Bhaarat
after him.
Bhaarat was named after King Bharat Chakravarti, the eldest son of
Bhagwan Rishabhdev. Bharat Chakravarty was a great Emperor. It is
mentioned in the Jain scriptures, as well as Hindu scriptures, that
that India was named Bhaarat after King Bharat, the son of Bhagwan
Rishabh. Bhagwan Rishabhdev's parents, King Naabhiraay and Queen
Marudevi are also mentioned.
I am presenting two quotations in Sanskrit from Hindu scriptures.
"Naabhirmarudevyaam Putramjanayat Rishabhnaamaanam Tasya Bharatah
Putrashch Taavadagrajah Tasya Bharatasya Pitaa Rishabhah
Hemaardredakshinam Varsh Mahad Bhaaratam Naam Shashaas."
Vaaraahpuraan, Adhyaay 74
Naabhi and Marudevi gave birth to a son named Rishabh whose son Bharat
was a ruler who ruled the region lying south of the Himalay, so the
ancients opine.
"Naabhe Putrashch Rishabhah Rishabhaad Bharato'obhavat. Tasya Naamma
Twidam Varsh Bhaaratam Cheti Keertyate"
Shlok 57 of Skandhpuraan, Maaheshwarkhand, Kaumaarkhand, Adhyaay 37
Nabhi's son was Rishabh, and from Rishabh came Bharat. From him the
name of Bhaarat became famed. (The meaning which is inferred from the
Shlok, that from the son of Rishabh, this country came to be named as
Bharat Varsh.)
I request the list members to look up the following Hindu scriptural
references as well.
Shlok 39 - 40 of Maarkandeypuraan , Adhyaay 40
Shlok 37 - 38 of Koormpuraan, Adhyaay 41
Shlok 10 - 11 of Agnipuraan, Adhyaay 10
Shlok 40 - 42 of Vayupuraan Poorvaardh, Adhyaay 33
Shlok 59 - 61 of Brahmaandpuraan Poorvaardh, Anushangpaad, Adhyaay 14
Shlok 19 - 23 of Lingpuraan, Adhyaay 47
Shlok 27 - 28 of Vishnupuraan, Dwiteeyaansh, Adhyaay 1
Shlok 57 of Skandhpuraan, Maaheshwarkhand, Kaumaarkhand, Adhyaay 37
MAHAVIR AND BUDDHA
Bhagwan Mahavir and Gautam Buddha lived in the same age and were
born in privileged royal families in the same vicinity. They both
taught a system of religion that lay emphasis upon the dignity of man
and both preached in the common man's language. Their concept of reality
stressed upon man's evolution to a higher plane, thus improving also
the social solidarity between men of all creeds. They propounded the
Shraman culture and established (or in Mahavir's case re established)
a philosophy that rejected the Vedic religion and established their own
following.
The approach of Bhagwan Mahavir and Gautam Buddha was not dissimilar,
as both sought to alleviate the suffering of souls bonded in the cycle
of rebirths from time immemorial. In many Buddhist works in Pali, there
is reference made to "Niganth Nataputta" , The Nirgranth son of King
Nata, i.e. Bhagwan Mahavir Swami. There was much in common in their
approach and both have left their indelible stamp on the heart of
humanity.
Gautam Buddha experimented with various schools of thought before
settling for the "Madhya Marg" or the Middle Path. In contrast, Bhagwan
Mahavir was clear and unequivocal about the road to salvation. He took
the path travelled by the Jain Tirthankars from Bhagwan Rishabhdev to
Bhagwan Parshwanath. He simply presented the path in contemporary form.
Bhagwan Mahavir was preaching to his own disciples as well as the
disciples of Bhagwan Parshwanath, who had preceded him by nearly 200
years. Hence he had to accommodate effectively two different sets of
followers. Of his short life span of seventy-two years, the first
thirty were spent as a layman, the next twelve in incredibly rigourous
penance and the last thirty years as a Tirthankar.
He influence spread southwards as well as westwards. Even today Jains
are to be found fairly large numbers in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
After his Enlightenment, Gautam Buddha believed that he had discovered
something new for mankind. He used his royal bloodline to facilitate the
propogation of his new faith. He lived a full eighty years and his
Middle Path was met with great enthusiasm wherever he went. Like
Bhagwan Mahavir, Gautam Buddha also preached the Shraman ideology but
his Middle Path, with its rejection of rigourous penance, travelled
well and his religion spread far and wide. Unfortunately Buddhism which
is omnipresent in the far East, has lost its roots in India, the land
of its origin.
One reason that has been forwarded by scholars is that Buddhist
clergymen distanced themselves from the lay community. This could have
possibly resulted in the loss of followers. Also, Buddhist literature
does not have many books written for laymen. So perhaps these factors
along with lack of royal patronage in the later years, conspired to the
lack of followers in India.
It is also likely that Buddhists were persecuted in India.
Jain clergy on the other hand, while maintaining their strict monastic
vows, have always lived closely with the laity. The Jain Sangh has more
or less been very cohesive and the monks and nuns have always been an
integral part of the Jain community. Jain literature has ample books
meant for the laymen, such as "Ratnakarand Shravakachar", "Motti Sadhu
Vandana", "MokshaMarg Prakashak", "Atmasiddhi" and of course
the "Trishashthi Shalaka Purusham", inspirational tales
of the 63 great men in history. Also, for four months during the
monsoon the monks and nuns stay in one place and inculcate Jainism
amongst the Shravaks (lay community) of the area. Even otherwise monks
and nuns incorporate the preaching to and teaching of Shravaks, as an
important part of their religious activity. Hence Jainism has continued
to flourish in the land of its birth.
I hope that this note clarifies that Jainism is distinct from Hinduism
and Buddhism.
The sacred books of the Jains are known as the Agams. I will write
about them tomorrow, as this email is too lengty already.
Yours in Ahinsa,
Manish Modi
HINDI GRANTH KARYALAY
http://www.hindibooks.8m.com
Hirabaug, C. P. Tank, Mumbai 400004, INDIA
Telephone: 00 91 22 3826739
Email: manish.modi@bol.net.in
|