Jainism, in many respect, is the most prominent religion in India, it is also associated with other major religions e.g. Hinduism and Buddhism. In the past, it was considered that Jainism was a stem either of Buddhism or of Hinduism. However, nowadays it is a well-known reality that Jainism is a separate religion of India but not a branch of either Buddhism or Hinduism. It is accepted that Jainism is the primordial religion of India. As Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism, are the most prominent religions of India, and have existed side by side for many centuries, it is accepted that they have impacted one another in several ways. Similarities are evident in images of paradise, earth and hell, and faith in the verity of the teachers of religion. Various issues like clothing and curios, occupations and professions, sports and amusements, sacraments and rituals, speech and journalism, stance on life and character, religious festivals and fasts, are a range of common practices among Jainas and Hindus. Certain castes have their members in the Hindus and the Jainas as well as marital relations to a certain extent (McKay, Hill, Buckler,Ebrey,Beck, Crowsto and Wiesner-Hanks, 2009, p.0).
Buddha viewed as very progressive was an all the rage of Mahavira and came from the same social class. Just like Mahavira he was born to a leader of one of the communities in the Himalayan slopes in what is now Nepal. Discontented with his days of placate at age 29, and concerned by the anguish he saw around him, like mahavira he left his residence to become a peripatetic ascetic. While he was meditating under a Bo tree, he became enlightened and gained an ideal insight into the systems of the universe. He emphasized a middle-way amid asceticism and worldly l...
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... view of the fact that people knew their positions in society (McKay et al. , 2009).
Both Jainism and Buddhism are religions of India, and disregard the Vedas of the Hindus as powerful binding. Both religions also attach importance to the ascetic way of life. For the bulk of Indians, religion inculcates into every facet of life, from every day chores to culture and politics.
Works Cited
Dowling, E. M., & Scarlett, W. G. (2006). Encyclopedia of religious and spiritual development. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications.
Ibbetson, D., Maclagan, E., & Rose, H. A. (1991). Religious life of Indian people: (Bonn in Tibet, Budhism, Jainism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc.). Delhi: Amar Prakashan.
McKay, J. P., Hill, B. D., Buckler, J., Ebrey, P. B., Beck, R. B., Crowston, C. H., & Wiesner-Hanks, M. E. (2009). A history of world societies. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.