Despite the fact that in the 1st century. BC. branches of philosophical and religious teachings such as Buddhism, Vedanta, mimansa and others already existed, the teachings of Vardhamana Mahavira became very widespread. The people nicknamed him Gina, which means "Winner" in translation, which is why almost the same name of the teaching itself appeared - Jainism.
The life and teachings of Mahavira
Mahavira grew up in a princely family and belonged to the ksatriya caste. According to legend, as a child he received an excellent education and had tremendous knowledge in various fields of science and philosophy. After his parents passed away, Mahavira at the age of 30 began to lead an ascetic lifestyle. Putting various spiritual experiments on himself, once, according to history, he achieved omniscience and discovered the foundations of a new understanding of the universal law dharma. The meaning of Mahavira's life was the achievement of "Perfection", which leads to the right knowledge, attitudes and behavior. This was the start of the foundation of the religion he preached, which, despite all the differences, thoroughly strengthened in India.
The main provisions of the exercise
Jainism, like other ascetic schools, does not accept the idea of the One God. The emphasis is on the person himself, on his own affairs, which can contribute to salvation from torment and misery in this world. It is declared that life is divided into periods and class differences are created artificially, so that no one should condemn a person, regardless of whom and in what family he was born. Jainism also proclaims that life is too short to wait for old age and only then begin to live a religious life. Bad lifestyle leads to the fact that the soul is wallowing in the swamp of its karma.
