School Students on Buddhism and Jainism
Jainism
Vardhaman Mahavir, the 24th and last Tirthankara (saint with divine power), was the founder of Jainism who first preached it in the sixth century B.C. Born to a Kshatriya chieftain at Kundagrams, near Vaishali, he left his family at the age of 30 and set out in search of true knowledge.
At the age of 42, he acquired the highest knowledge, Kevalyanana, and began to be known as Mahavira. He spent the rest of his life preaching Jainism. The main teachings of Jainism are: Ahimsa or non-violence; hard penance and self-sacrifice; no faith in the existence of God; worship of the 24 Tirthankaras; attainment of moksha or salvation as the main aim of life; belief in the next life, transmigration of soul and the theory of karma\ no faith in religious rites and rituals; and equality of human beings. The religious texts of the Jains are known as Angas.
Buddhism
It was founded by Lord Buddha, a Sakya prince and the son of the ruler of Kapilavastu. He was born in 567 B.C. in the Lumbini Gardens, near Kapilavastu. He left his family in search of enlightenment in 537 B.C. In 531 B.C. he attained the higher knowledge at Gaya. He was 36 then.
The main teachings of Buddha are: all suffering is caused by desire, and may be put to an end by destroying desire; Nirvana, or freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth, may be attained by following the eight-fold path of right belief, right thought, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right recollection and right meditation; ahimsa or the path of nonviolence; no faith in sacrifices and rituals; faith in the equality of men and not in the caste system; belief in karma and transmigration of soul; and emphasis of morality.
The most important Buddhist scriptures are the Tripitakas or ‘the three baskets’-the Vinayapitaka, the Suttapitaka and the Abhidhammapitaka. The religious texts of the Buddhists are known as the Jatakas.
A few centuries after Buddha’s death, Buddhism was divided into two sects: Hinayana and Mahayana.
