JAINISM — Ultra Quick Memory Notes
1) Core Timeline & People
- 24 Tirthankaras (“ford-makers” across the cycle of rebirth).
- 1st: Rishabhanatha (Ādinātha) — symbol Bull.
- 23rd: Parshvanatha (Varanasi; 8th/7th c. BCE) — symbol Serpent-hood (7 hoods).
- 24th: Vardhamana Mahavira (539–467 BCE*) — symbol Lion.
(Dates vary in sources; keep 539–467 BCE per your note.)
- All Tirthankaras were Kshatriyas by birth.
Mahavira — life at a glance (remember “K-30-13-42-72”)
- Birth: Kundagrama near Vaishali (K = Kundagrama).
- 30: Renounced; became wandering ascetic; practiced self-mortification.
- 13: Years of penance.
- 42: Kevala-jñāna (omniscience) at Jrimbhikagrama under a Śāl tree → called Mahāvīra / Jina / Jitendriya / Nigaṇṭha / Kevalin.
- 72: Nirvāṇa at Pāvā (Pāvāpuri, near Rājagriha) after ~30 years of preaching.
- Family: Father Siddhārtha (Jnatrika clan head), Mother Trishalā (sister of Lichchhavi Chetaka); Married Yaśodā; daughter Anojja/Priyadarśanā.
2) What Jainism Teaches
- No creator God; universe runs by cause-effect (natural law).
- Soul (jīva) is eternal; karma binds the soul → transmigration.
- Goal: Free the soul from karma → Kevala-jñāna → Mokṣa.
- Austerity & non-violence central; equality of all souls (but caste not explicitly abolished like Buddhism).
- Good/Bad by action (karma), not birth.
2A) Two Broad Categories of Reality
- Jīva (conscious, living)
- Ajīva (non-living: matter, motion, rest, space, time, etc.)
2B) Three Jewels (Tri-ratna) = Right Faith + Right Knowledge + Right Conduct
- Right Conduct = Five Great Vows (Mahā-vratas) for ascetics (householders keep them as Anu-vratas = smaller forms):
- Ahimsa (non-violence)
- Satya (truth)
- Asteya (non-stealing)
- Brahmacharya (celibacy/chastity)
- Aparigraha (non-possession / non-acquisitiveness)
2C) High-value philosophy (one-liners to quote)
- Anekāntavāda — reality is many-sided (no single absolute viewpoint).
- Syādvāda — “may-be-ism”: sevenfold predication (syāt asti, nāsti, etc.).
- Nayavāda — partial standpoints; truth seen from specific perspectives.
2D) Karma & Conduct – fast facts
- Karma = subtle material particles that cling to the soul via kaṣāyas (anger, pride, deceit, greed).
- Tapas (austerities): external (fasting, limited food, etc.) + internal (repentance, humility, meditation).
- Sallekhanā (Santhāra): voluntary peaceful fasting to death—vowed, disciplined end-of-life practice in Jain ethics.
3) Jain Canon (Texts) — “4–6–12–10–6–2” hack
- Jain Āgamas (canon based on Mahavira’s teachings). Śvetāmbara count 46:
- 12 Aṅgas (core)
- 12 Upāṅgas (explanations of Aṅgas)
- 10 Prakīrṇakas (misc. topics)
- 6 Cheda-sūtras (discipline for monks/nuns)
- 4 Mūla-sūtras (basic texts for early monkhood)
- 2 Cūlikā-sūtras (appendices enhancing Aṅgas)
Sect view on texts:
Śvetāmbara: preserve Aṅgas.
Digambara: original Aṅgas lost; rely on later works (e.g., Kundakunda).
4) Organization & Practice
- Fourfold Saṅgha: Monks, Nuns, Laymen, Laywomen.
- Language of preaching: Prākrit (common people’s speech), not Sanskrit.
- Women & Śūdras admitted to the order (important for social reach).
5) Spread, Famine & Split (Remember “Famine → South → Split”)
- ~200 years post-Mahavira: a severe famine in the Ganga valley.
- Bhadrabāhu + Chandragupta Maurya led a group south to Karnataka (Śravaṇabeḷgoḷa).
- Sthulabhadra/Sthūlabāhu remained in the north.
- Code change (allowing white clothing) in the north → sectarian split:
Two Main Sects
- Śvetāmbara (“white-clad”) — North
- Accept white robes; allow nuns; Aṅgas preserved (per their view).
- Sub-sects: Mūrtipūjaka, Sthānakavāsī, Terāpanthī, plus Gacchas (traditions).
- Digambara (“sky-clad”) — South
- Nudity for monks, strict asceticism; women need male rebirth for Kevala (sect position); Aṅgas lost.
- Sub-sects: Bisapantha, Terapantha, Taranapantha, Gumanapantha, Totapantha, Kanjipantha.
Iconic site: Śravaṇabeḷgoḷa (Karnataka) — Gommateśvara (Bahubali) monolith.
6) Councils
- 1st Council — Pāṭaliputra, 3rd c. BCE; president: Sthūlabāhu; 12 Aṅgas compiled.
- 2nd Council — Vallabhi (Gujarat), 512 CE; president: Devardhigaṇi; redaction/preservation of Śvetāmbara canon.
7) Royal Patronage
- South: Kadamba, Ganga dynasties; Rashtrakuta Amoghavarsha; Chaulukya (Solanki) Kumarapala.
- North/East: Bimbisāra, Ajātaśatru, Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusāra, Kharavela (Kalinga).
8) Symbols, & Places
- Symbols:
- Rishabha—Bull, Parshva—Serpent-hood, Mahavira—Lion.
- Jain emblem often shows swastika (four states of existence) + hand (ahimsa) + three dots (Tri-ratna).
- Holy places (Tirthas): Pāvāpuri (Mahavira’s nirvāṇa), Sammed Shikhar/Śrī Parśvanātha (Jharkhand), Girnar, Palitana (Shatrunjaya), Śravaṇabeḷgoḷa.
- Daily ethics for laity: Anuvratas, Guṇa-vratas, Śikṣā-vratas (graded vows for householders).
9) Jainism vs. Vedic/Buddhist (fast contrasts)
- Vs Vedic: rejects sacrifice, priestly supremacy, creator God; upholds karma-mokṣa via self-effort.
- Vs Buddhism: both non-theistic & ethical; Jainism stricter on asceticism/ahimsa; Buddhism rejects soul (anatta) whereas Jainism affirms eternal jīva.
10) 10-Second Flash Cards
- Tri-ratna: Right Faith, Right Knowledge, Right Conduct.
- Five vows: Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha.
- Two main sects: Śvetāmbara (white) vs Digambara (sky-clad).
- Mahavira code: K-30-13-42-72 (Birthplace, Renunciation, Penance, Omniscience, Age at Nirvāṇa).
- 23rd Tirthankara: Parshvanatha (Varanasi).
- Language: Prākrit (not Sanskrit).
- Canon count (Śvetāmbara): 46 texts (12+12+10+6+4+2)
