- A Jina renounces
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This highly decorated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is provided by the National Gallery of Australia. A young man performs the rite of keśa-loca – ‘pulling out of the hair’ – which indicates indifference to the body. It is part of the initiation ceremony of dīkṣā, in which an initiate renounces the world and becomes a mendicant. He is watched by Śakra, king of the gods who takes an active role in the lives of the 24 Jinas.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=177852&View=LRG
- A Jina sits in meditation
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The National Gallery of Australia provides this 12th-century image of a seated Jina. Under an ornate arch, the Jina takes the lotus pose of meditation. He is hard to identify without his emblem – lāñchana – but his closed eyes, unadorned figure and nudity indicate the statue was produced by the Digambara sect.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=128702&View=LRG
- A Pinnacle of Spirituality
A Pinnacle of Spirituality: the Inspirational Life of Shrimad Rajchandra. Written by a follower of Śrīmad Rājacandra, the book tells the life story of the 19th-century mystic, writer, and provides quotations from Gandhi on his friend Raichandbhai. A. Pinnacle of Spirituality was created in 2001 as part of a series of events to mark the century since Shrimad Rajchandra’s passing away and was translated from the original work in Gujarati by Dr Kumarpal Desai. The online English version and down loadable Gujarati version is available on the Shree Raj Saubhag website.
- A Śvetāmbara nun descends from Shatrunjaya
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A nun from a Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjaka mendicant order runs barefoot down the steps leading down from Mount Shatrunjaya. This temple-city in Gujarat is one of the most significant Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjaka pilgrimage sites. The steep path from the foot to the summit, where the principal shrines are found, has around 4000 steps.
- Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 1
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This short YouTube video from 2011 captures part of a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the first of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the next part.
- Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 2
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This short YouTube video from 2011 captures a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the second of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the next part.
- Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 3
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This short YouTube video from 2011 captures part of a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the third of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the final part.
- Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 4
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This short YouTube video from 2011 captures part of a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the last of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the first part.
- Ahimsa
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HereNow4U provides Rudi Jansma's article discussing the principle of ahiṁsā – non-violence – and how it relates to the philosophical notions of:
- anekānta-vāda – 'truth from many viewpoints'
- naya-vāda – all views
- syād-vāda– 'assertion of possibilities'.
This article was first published in Dutch in 2005.
- Ahimsa – The Science Of Peace
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Surendra Bothara looks at the history of the Jain concept of ahiṁsā – non-harm or non-violence – and explores how this ancient principle may be applied to solve modern problems.
HereNow4U presents the online version of the third edition, published in 2008. To move to the next page of the book, click on an arrow or slide the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- Ahiṁsā (Non-Violence) & Human Rights In Indian Culture: With Special Reference To Jainism (1)
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Legal expert N. K. Jain discusses the ancient concept of ahiṁsā – non-violence – and the contemporary field of human rights in this 2006 article on HereNow4U.
Translated by Shri S. C. Jain, P. C. Jain, S. P. Jain and Smt Saroj Jain, this is the first part, with the second part also available.
- Ahiṁsā (Non-Violence) & Human Rights In Indian Culture: With Special Reference To Jainism (2)
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Legal expert N. K. Jain discusses the ancient concept of ahiṁsā – non-violence – and the contemporary field of human rights in this 2006 article on HereNow4U
Translated by Shri S. C. Jain, P. C. Jain, S. P. Jain and Smt Saroj Jain, this is the second part, with the first part also available.
- Ahimsa and Veganism
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In his 2009 article, Gary L. Francione puts forward the argument that veganism – living without any animal products – is the logical outcome of ahiṁsā, the principal Jain tenet of non-violence. Originally published in Jain Digest magazine, the online article is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Ahimsa is not a religion… It is a way of life
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Clare Rosenfield and Linda Segall describe how the Jain principle of ahiṁsā – non-violence or non-harm – and a vegetarian diet can contribute towards world peace.
The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ahimsa/ahimsacr.htm
- Ahimsa Perspective from Jain Scriptures
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Saurabha Dalal provides some excerpts from Jain scriptures that underline the cardinal religious concept of ahiṁsā – non-violence or non-harm. One of the excerpts lists the trades which lay Jains are forbidden to practise because of the violence they involve.
The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ahimsa/saurabh.htm
- Ahimsa: Beauty Of Life
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Gani Rajendra Vijay looks at how ahiṁsā – non-violence – is the foundation of other virtues. This article from 2007 is available on the HereNow4U website.
- Ahimsa: Nonviolence is the highest Religion
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Surendra Botha discusses the central place of the concept of ahiṃsā – non-violence – in Jain doctrine in this chapter from Introduction to Jainism by Sneh Rani Jain and Rudi Jansma. The online version of this 2006 book is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Ajita statue with audio description
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An 11th-century sculpture of the second Jina Ajitanātha or Lord Ajita features the donors of the artwork kneeling at his feet. Carved from marble, the Śvetāmbara figure is surrounded by divine attendants, including his yakṣa and yakṣī. The Norton Simon Museum in California provides a zoomable photograph and an audio description of the statue.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=M.1998.1.S
- Akṣaya Tṛtīyā in Ahmedabad
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The DNAIndia website provides a report about the 2010 ending of the varṣītap fast in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The year-long fast is ceremonially broken on the festival of Akṣaya Tṛtīyā. Undertaken in imitation of Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first Jina, the fast ends with the taking of alms in the pāraṇā ritual, which re-enacts the first acceptance of alms. The fasters are at the centre of great public celebrations among the Jain community.
- Alexander Walker biography
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A Scots-born soldier and administrator in the East India Company, Alexander Walker (1764–1831) was one of the first Westerners to distinguish between Jains and Hindus. His son donated his collection of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts to the Bodleian Library in Oxford. This entry from volume 59 of the Dictionary of National Biography (1885–1900) appears in Wikisource.
- Altarpiece featuring Ananta
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The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, provides a zoomable image of a 15th-century altarpiece from Karnataka. The large figure is Anantanātha or Lord Ananta, the 14th Jina, surrounded by 13 other Jinas. An animal is visible on the base, which could be the bear, the Digambara emblem for this Jina.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.17.45.s
- Altarpiece of Ṛṣabha and other Jinas
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The Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, USA, provides a zoomable image of Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first Jina, surrounded by all the other Jinas. The brass altarpiece is finely made, depicting the Jinas sitting in meditation, with symbols of high spiritual and worldly status emphasising their positions at the pinnacle of the Jain faith. The photograph can be enlarged to see more detail.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/142507?search_no=2&index=10
- Ambikā
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Image of Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī from Uttar Pradesh. A very popular goddess associated with motherhood and children, Ambikā is usually depicted holding a mango and with a child, her lion vehicle nearby. She is also the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of the 22nd Jina Nemi, whose smaller figure sits above her. This zoomable photograph is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=P.2004.01.1
- Animation of Śālibhadra
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The first part of the story of Śālibhadra is presented as an animation on YouTube, uploaded in 2012. In this part of the tale, the young boy Sangama offers alms to a Jain monk, which is one of the key episodes in the story. The story of Śālibhadra is a Jain favourite that underlines the importance of lay Jains giving alms to mendicants.
- Anointing a Jina statue
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A statue of a Jina is ceremonially anointed during the festival of Dīvālī, the 'Festival of Lights' which marks the new year. For Jains the main celebration at Dīvālī is the commemoration of the liberation of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra. A ‘head-anointing ceremony’ – mastakābhiṣeka – is a rite performed for any Jain image. Sanctified fluids are poured over the head of the statue, accompanied by a mantra or hymn. The sacred bath is at the centre of all Jain image rituals and can be performed daily in the morning ceremony or during festivals and pilgrimages. This photo on Flickr was taken in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in October 2009.
- Aṇuvrat Movement – Anuvibha
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A description of the Aṇuvrat Movement is provided by the Anuvrat Global Organization, which is frequently known as Anuvibha from its name Hindi, Anuvrat Vishva Bharati.
- Anuvrat Movement: An Analytical Study
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Subramania Gopalan, formerly a scholar at the Centre of Advanced Study in Philosophy in the University of Madras, India, discusses the Aṇuvrat Movement. This article on the Herenow4U website differs in some respects from the JAINpedia article on the Aṇuvrat Movement.
- Anuvrat: An Introduction
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The HereNow4U website provides the text of Anuvrat: An Introduction by Yuvācārya Mahāprajña. This was published in the 1985 festschrift entitled Acharya Tulsi – Fifty Years Of Selfless Dedication, which celebrated Ācārya Tulsi's 50 years as head of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth sect.
- Archaeological Survey of India – history
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The Archaeological Survey of India was set up in 1784 by Sir William Jones in Calcutta. It began publishing the Asiatick Researches journal in 1788, which publicised the results of surveys of historical sites and monuments in India.
- Article on the 2006 anointing of Bāhubali
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Maura Moynihan’s article ‘The Power of Prayer’ describes an American photographer’s experience of the 2006 ‘great head-anointing ceremony’ – mahā-mastakābhiṣeka – of the enormous statue of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. The article appears in the March 2006 issue of the Smithsonian magazine, available on the Smithsonian website.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-power-of-prayer-111939407/
- Āryikā Jñānamati – Jain Triple World Research Institute
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One of the most influential women in contemporary Jainism, Āryikā Jñānamati is a Digambara nun. Her achievements and character inspired the 1974 foundation of the Digambar Jain Trilok Shodh Sansthan – Jain Triple World Research Institute – in Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh. Here described by her name in modern Hindi, Āryikā Jñānamati is profiled on the institute's website.
- Ashtakarma – Eight Types Of Karma
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Manubhai Doshi outlines the types of karma in this chapter from Essence of Jainism, first published in 1992. The online version is on the HereNow4U website.
- Ātmavāda
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Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha summarises the Jain doctrine of the soul in her 2007 book An Introduction to Jainism, provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Auṃ mantra
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The oṃ – more properly auṃ – mantra is a holy formula that assists meditation and brings good luck. It is often found in yantras, which are auspicious meditation diagrams. This 18th-century example is painted with gold and also features other auspicious figures and symbols, such as Jinas, deities and mantras. The yantra is presented on the website of lotsearch.net
- Auṃ-hrīṃ yantra
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A 16th-century cloth maṇḍala features the composite seed mantra at its centre, which combines the sacred syllables of hrīṃ and auṃ – also known as oṃ. This colourful maṇḍala also contains numerous other auspicious symbols, including a pair of eyes, Jinas and deities. The auctioneer Christie's provides this zoomable photograph on its website.
- Ayodhyapuram temple
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This 2009 photo on Flickr shows the recently built temple of Ayodhyapuram in Vallabhipur in Gujarat, which is dedicated to R̥ṣabha. Taking an innovative design, the temple houses a very large statue of the first Jina in the lotus position, which weighs around 23 tonnes.