Is Jainism Monotheistic Or Polytheistic

God in Jain religion

In Jainism, godliness is said to be the inherent quality of every soul. This quality, however, is subdued by the soul'due south clan with karmic thing. All souls who have achieved the natural state of space bliss, infinite knowledge (kevala jnana), space power and infinite perception are regarded equally God in Jainism. Jainism rejects the idea of a creator deity responsible for the manifestation, creation, or maintenance of this universe just rather have souls called devas and devis who accept reached heaven for their merits and deeds, who influence the universe for a stock-still time until they themselves get reincarnated to achieve and continue the wheel of enlightenment. According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents (soul, matter, space, time, and principles of move) take ever existed. All the constituents and actions are governed by universal natural laws and perfect soul, an immaterial entity cannot create or affect a fabric entity like the universe.^[one]

Definition [edit]

From the essential perspective, the soul of every living organism is perfect in every way, is independent of whatsoever deportment of the organism, and is considered God or to have godliness. But the epithet of God is given to the soul in whom its properties manifest in accord with its inherent nature. There are countably infinite souls in the universe.

Co-ordinate to Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra (a major Jain text):^[2]

आप्तेनो च्छिनदोषेण सर्वज्ञेनागमेशिना।

भवितव्यं नियोगेन नान्यथा ह्याप्तता भवेत्।।५।

In the nature of things the true God should be free from the faults and weaknesses of the lower nature; [he should be] the knower of all things and the revealer of dharma; in no other way can divinity exist constituted..

क्षुत्पिपासाजराजरातक्ड जन्मान्तकभयस्मयाः।

न रागद्वेषमोहाश्च यस्याप्तः स प्रकीर्त्यते ।।६।।

He alone who is gratuitous from hunger, thirst, senility, disease, nascency, decease, fright, pride, attachment, disfavor, infatuation, worry, conceit, hatred, uneasiness, sweat, sleep and surprise is called a God.

Godliness [edit]

In Jainism, godliness is said to be the inherent quality of every soul (or every living organism) characterizing infinite bliss, infinite power, Kevala Jnana (pure infinite knowledge),^[3] infinite perception, and perfect manifestations of (countably) infinite other attributes. There are two possible views after this bespeak. Ane is to look at the soul from the perspective of the soul itself. This entails explanations of the properties of the soul, its exact structure, composition and nature, the nature of various states that arise from it and their source attributes as is done in the deep and arcane texts of Samayasāra, Niyamasara and Pravachanasara. Another view is to consider things apart from the soul and its relationships with the soul. Co-ordinate to this view, the qualities of a soul are subdued due to karmas of the soul. Karmas are the fundamental particles of nature in Jainism. 1 who achieves this state of soul through right belief, right knowledge and correct behave can be termed a god. This perfection of soul is called Kevalin. A god thus becomes a liberated soul – liberated of miseries, cycles of rebirth, earth, karmas and finally liberated of body equally well. This is called nirvana or moksha.

Jainism does not teach the dependency on any supreme existence for enlightenment. The Tirthankara is a guide and instructor who points the way to enlightenment, but the struggle for enlightenment is one's own. Moral rewards and sufferings are not the work of a divine existence, only a upshot of an innate moral society in the cosmos; a self-regulating machinery whereby the private reaps the fruits of his ain deportment through the workings of the karmas.

Jains believe that to reach enlightenment and ultimately liberation from all karmic bonding, one must practise the ethical principles non only in thought, but too in words (voice communication) and activity. Such a practice through lifelong work towards oneself is regarded equally observing the Mahavrata ("Great Vows").

Gods can be thus categorized into embodied gods also known as arihantas and non-embodied formless gods who are called Siddhas. Jainism considers the devīs and devas to be souls who dwell in heavens owing to meritorious deeds in their past lives. These souls are in heavens for a fixed lifespan and even they have to undergo reincarnation as humans to achieve moksha.

Thus, there are infinite gods in Jainism, all equivalent, liberated, and infinite in the manifestation of all attributes. The Cocky and karmas are split up substances in Jainism, the quondam living and the latter not-living. The attainment of enlightenment and the one who exists in such a land, then those who have achieved such a land can exist termed gods. Therefore, beings (Arihant) who've attained omniscience (kevala jnana) are worshipped as gods. The quality of godliness is i and the same in all of them. Jainism is sometimes regarded every bit a transtheistic religion,^[4] though information technology tin be atheistic or polytheistic based on the way one defines "God".

Five supreme beings [edit]

Stella depicting Pañca-Parameṣṭhi (five supreme beings) worthy of veneration as per Jainism

In Jainism, the Pañca-Parameṣṭhi (Sanskrit for "five supreme beings") are a fivefold hierarchy of religious authorities worthy of veneration. The v supreme beings are:

Arihant
Siddha
Acharya (Head of the monastic club)
Upadhyaya ("Preceptor of less avant-garde ascetics")
Muni or Jain monks

Arihant [edit]

A human being beingness who conquers all inner passions and possesses space right knowledge (Kevala Jnana) is revered equally an arihant in Jainism.^[five] They are likewise called Jinas (conquerors) or Kevalin (omniscient beings). An arihant is a soul who has destroyed all passions, is totally unattached and without any desire and hence is able to destroy the four ghātiyā karmas and attain kevala jñāna, or omniscience. Such a soul still has a torso and four aghātiyā karmas. Arihantas, at the finish of their human life-span, destroy all remaining aghātiyā karmas and accomplish Siddhahood. At that place are two kinds of kevalin or arihant:^{[half dozen]}

Sāmānya Kevalin–Ordinary victors, who are concerned with their own salvation.
Tirthankara Kevalin–Twenty-four human being spiritual guides (pedagogy gods), who show the true path to salvation.^[7]

Tīrthaṅkara [edit]

Image of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th and final Tirthankara (Photo:Samanar Hills)

The word Tīrthaṅkara signifies the founder of a tirtha which means a fordable passage across a sea. The Tirthankara testify the "fordable path" across the ocean of interminable births and deaths.^[viii] Jain philosophy divides the wheel of time in ii halves, Utsarpiṇī or ascending time cycle and avasarpiṇī, the descending time bike. Exactly 24 Tirthankara are said to grace each one-half of the cosmic time wheel.^[9] Rishabhanatha/Aadishwar was the beginning Tirthankara and Mahavira was the last Tirthankara of avasarpiṇī.^[9]

Tirthankara revive the fourfold order of Shraman, Shramani, Śrāvaka, and Śrāvika chosen sangha. Tirthankara can be called pedagogy gods who teach the Jain philosophy. However information technology would be a mistake to regard the tirthankara every bit gods coordinating to the gods of the Hindu pantheon despite the superficial resemblances between Jain and Hindu ways of worship.^[10] Tirthankara, existence liberated, are beyond whatever kind of transactions with the residual of the universe. They are not the beings who practise any sort of creative activity or who take the capacity or ability to intervene in answers to prayers.

Tirthamkara-nama-karma is a special type of karma, chains of which raises a soul to the supreme status of a tirthankara.^[11]

Siddhas [edit]

Although the siddhas (the liberated beings) are formless and without a torso, this is how the Jain temples often depict them.

Ultimately all arihantas get siddhas, or liberated souls, at the time of their nirvana. A siddha is a soul who is permanently liberated from the transmigratory cycle of birth and death. Such a soul, having realized its true self, is free from all the Karmas and apotheosis. They are formless and dwell in Siddhashila (the realm of the liberated beings) at the apex of the universe in infinite bliss, infinite perception, space knowledge and space free energy.

The Acharanga Sutra 1.197 describes siddhas in this fashion:

The liberated soul is not long nor small nor circular nor triangular nor quadrangular nor circular; it is not black nor blue nor red nor green nor white; neither of good nor bad smell; not bitter nor pungent nor severe nor sweet; neither rough nor soft; neither heavy nor light; neither common cold nor hot; neither harsh nor smooth; it is without torso, without resurrection, without contact (of matter), it is non feminine nor masculine nor neuter. The siddha perceives and knows all, yet is beyond comparison. Its essence is without form; there is no condition of the unconditioned. It is not sound, not colour, non odor, not taste, not impact or anything of that kind. Thus I say.^[12]

Siddhahood is the ultimate goal of all souls. There are infinite souls who have become siddhas and infinite more than who will attain this country of liberation.^[d] Co-ordinate to Jainism, Godhood is not a monopoly of some omnipotent and powerful being(south). All souls, with right perception, knowledge and comport tin achieve self-realisation and attain this country. Once achieving this state of space bliss and having destroyed all desires, the soul is not concerned with worldly matters and does non interfere in the working of the universe, as whatsoever activity or desire to interfere will once once again result in influx of karmas and thus loss of liberation.

Jains pray to these passionless Gods non for whatever favors or rewards simply rather pray to the qualities of the God with the objective of destroying the karmas and achieving the Godhood. This is best understood by the term vandetadgunalabhdhaye – i.e. "we pray to the attributes of such Gods to larn such attributes" ^[f] ^[13]

According to Anne Vallely:

Jainism is not a religion of coming down. In Jainism it is we who must go upwardly. We just take to aid ourselves. In Jainism nosotros accept to get God. That is the only matter.^[14]

Devas [edit]

Idol of Padmāvatī devī, śāsanadevī of Lord Parshvanatha at Walkeshwar Temple. She is one of the about popular demi-goddess amongst the Jains. According to Digambar Terapanth, worship of such deities is considered every bit mithyātva or wrong conventionalities. However, in the Bispanthi Digambar tradition and the Shwetambar tradition, Padmavati is a popular Jain goddess.

Jain cosmology offers an elaborate description of heavenly beings (devas), but these beings are neither viewed every bit creators nor are they immortal; they are subject to suffering and change like all other living beings, and must eventually die. In this way, they are like to the devas of Buddhism. English-language material tends to retain the term "deva" or describe these beings equally "deities", "gods" and "goddesses."^[xv]

Jainism describes existence of śāsanadevatās and śāsanadevīs, the attendants of a Tirthankara, who create the samavasarana or the divine preaching assembly of a Tirthankara. Such heavenly beings are classified as:-

Bhavanapatis – Devas dwelling in abodes
Vyantaras – Intermediary devas
Jyotiṣkas – Luminaries
Vaimānikas – Astral devas

The souls on account of accumulation of meritorious karmas reincarnate in heavens every bit devas. Although their life span is quite long, afterward their merit karmas are exhausted, they once again accept to reincarnate dorsum into the realms of humans, animals or hells depending on their karmas. As these devas themselves are not liberated, they have attachments and passions and hence not worthy of worship.

Ācārya Hemachandra decries the worship of such devas:

These heavenly beings (devas above) tainted with zipper and passion; having women and weapons past their side, favour some and disfavour some; Such heavenly beings (devas) should not exist worshipped past those who desire emancipation^[16]

Worship of such devas is considered equally mithyatva or incorrect belief leading to bondage of karmas.

Jain opposition to creationism [edit]

Jain scriptures turn down God equally the creator of the universe. Farther, it asserts that no god is responsible or causal for actions in the life of any living organism. Ācārya Hemacandra in the 12th century put forth the Jain view of the universe in the Yogaśāstra:^[17]

This universe is not created nor sustained by anyone; It is self-sustaining, without any base of operations or support

Too scriptural authority, Jains also resorted to syllogism and deductive reasoning to refute the creationist theories. Various views on divinity and the universe held by the Vedics, samkhyas, mīmāṃsās, Buddhists and other schools of thought were analyzed, debated and repudiated past various Jain Ācāryas. However, the most eloquent refutation of this view is provided past Ācārya Jinasena in Mahāpurāna,^[xviii] ^[xix] ^[20] which was quoted by Carl Sagan in his 1980 book Cosmos.^[21]

Some foolish men declare that creator made the world. The doctrine that the earth was created is ill advised and should be rejected.

If God created the globe, where was he before the creation? If y'all say he was transcendent then and needed no support, where is he now? How could God have made this world without any raw material? If you say that he made this first, and so the earth, yous are faced with an endless regression.

If you declare that this raw textile arose naturally you fall into another fallacy, for the whole universe might thus have been its own creator, and have arisen quite naturally.

If God created the globe by an human action of his own volition, without whatsoever raw textile, then information technology is merely his volition and nothing else — and who will believe this lightheaded nonsense?

If he is ever perfect and complete, how could the volition to create accept arisen in him? If, on the other manus, he is not perfect, he could no more create the universe than a potter could.

If he is form-less, activity-less and all-embracing, how could he accept created the earth? Such a soul, devoid of all modality, would have no desire to create anything.

If he is perfect, he does not strive for the three aims of homo, so what advantage would he proceeds by creating the universe?

If you say that he created to no purpose considering information technology was his nature to do and so, and so God is pointless. If he created in some kind of sport, information technology was the sport of a foolish child, leading to trouble.

If he created considering of the karma of embodied beings (acquired in a previous creation), then he is non the Almighty Lord, only subordinate to something else.

If out of beloved for living beings and need of them he made the world, why did he not make cosmos wholly blissful free from misfortune?

If he were transcendent he would not create, for he would be free: Nor if involved in transmigration, for and so he would not be almighty. Thus the doctrine that the globe was created by God makes no sense at all.

And God commits dandy sin in slaying the children whom he himself created. If you say that he slays only to destroy evil beings, why did he create such beings in the beginning place?

Good men should combat the believer in divine creation, maddened past an evil doctrine. Know that the globe is uncreated, as fourth dimension itself is, without offset or stop, and is based on the principles, life and rest. Uncreated and indestructible, information technology endures nether the compulsion of its own nature.

Encounter too [edit]

Nontheistic religions
Jainism

Notes [edit]

^ The Perfect Law Archived 20 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine Jainworld.org
^ Jain, Champat Rai (1917), The Ratna Karanda Sravakachara, The Central Jaina Publishing House, p. 3, archived from the original on 2015
^ Sangave 2001, p. 164.
^ Zimmer 1953, p. 182.
^ Sangave 2001, p. 15.
^ Sangave 2001, p. 16.
^ Rankin 2013, p. forty.
^ Jain, Champat Rai (1930), Jainism, Christianity and Scientific discipline, The Indian Press, Allahabad, archived from the original on 2015
^ ^a ^b Sangave 2001, p. 16–17.
^ Thrower (1980), p. 93
^ Jain 1917, p. 48.
^ Jacobi (1884) Retrieved on : 25 May 2007
^ Nayanar (2005b), p. 35 Gāthā 1.29
^ Vallely, Anne (1980). In: Guardians of the Transcendent: An Ethnology of a Jain Ascetic Community. University of Toronto Press: Toronto. p. 182
^ "Article: Deities", Jainpedia , retrieved sixteen November 2019
^ Gopani (1989), emended
^ Hemacandra; Bothara, Surendra.; Gopani, A. Southward.; Jaina Śve. Nākoṛā Pārśvanātha Tīrtha.; Prākr̥ta Bhāratī Akādamī. (10 February 1989), The Yoga shastra of Hemchandracharya: a 12th century guide to Jain Yoga, Prakrit Bharti Academy; Shri Jain Swetamber Nakoda Parshwanath Teerth – via Hathi Trust
^ Afterword on Jinasena, D. Lakey, The Philosophical Forum, Volume 33 Issue 3 Page 343-344 - Fall 2002
^ Barbara Sproul, Primal Myths: Creating the World
^ PDF of the text
^ http://www.angelfire.com/blog2/endovelico/CarlSagan-Cosmos.pdf on page 140

References [edit]

Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001), Aspects of Jaina religion (tertiary ed.), Bharatiya Jnanpith, ISBN81-263-0626-ii
Rankin, Aidan (2013), "Chapter 1. Jains Jainism and Jainness", Living Jainism: An Ethical Science, John Chase Publishing, ISBN978-1780999111
Zimmer, Heinrich (1953) [April 1952], Campbell, Joseph (ed.), Philosophies Of India, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, ISBN978-81-208-0739-6, This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Jain, Champat Rai (1917), The Practical Path