Mahavira buddha biography short

Mahavira's previous births are discussed in Jain texts such as the Mahapurana and Tri-shashti-shalaka-purusha-charitra. Jain texts discuss 26 births of Mahavira before his incarnation as a Tirthankara. Colonial-era Indologists, considered Jainism and Mahavira's followers to be a sect of Buddhism because of the superficial similarities in their iconography, meditative and ascetic practices.

Mahavira's mahavira buddhas biography short were compiled by his Ganadhara chief discipleGautama Swami. Thereafter, attempts were made by Jain monks to gather again, co-recite the canon, and re-establish it in its entirety. In the early centuries of the common era, Jain texts containing Mahavira's teachings were written down in palm leaf manuscripts.

Jain Agamas prescribe five major vratas vows that both ascetics and householders have to follow. The goal of these principles is to achieve spiritual peace, better rebirth, or, ultimately, liberation. Of these precepts, Mahavira is most remembered in the Indian traditions for his teachings of ahimsa non-injury as the supreme ethical and moral virtue.

Mahavira taught that the soul exists, a premise that Jainism shares with Hinduism but not Buddhism. According to Buddhism, there is no soul or self, and its teachings are based on the concept of anatta. To Mahavira, the metaphysical nature of the universe consists of dravyajivaand ajiva. There is no creator God, according to Mahavira's teachings, and existence has neither beginning nor end.

However, there are gods and demons in Jain beliefs, whose jivas are a part of the same cycles of births and deaths depending on the accumulated karmic particles. Mahavira taught the doctrine of "many-sided reality". This doctrine is now known as Anekantavada or Anekantatva. Reality can be experienced, but it is not possible to express it completely with language.

Human attempts to communicate are Nayaor a "partial expression of the truth". From Truth, according to Mahavira, language returns and not the other way around. The Buddha taught the Middle Way, rejecting, in answer to questions, extremes of the answer "it is" or "it is not". The Mahavira, in contrast, accepted both "it is" and "it is not", with the qualification of "perhaps" and with reconciliation.

A version of this doctrine is also found in the Ajivika tradition of ancient Indian philosophies. In contemporary times, according to Dundas, the Anekantavada doctrine has been interpreted by many Jains as intending to "promote a universal religious tolerance", and a teaching of "plurality" and "benign attitude to other [ethical, religious] positions", but this is problematic and a misreading of Jain historical texts and Mahavira's teachings.

One of the historically contentious views within Jainism is in part attributed to Mahavira and his ascetic life where he never wore any clothes as a mark of disowning everything interpreted as a consequence of the fifth vow of Aparigraha. The disputes triggered by this teaching of Mahavira are those related to gender and whether a female mendicant sadhvi can achieve spiritual liberation just like a male mendicant sadhu through Jain ascetic practices.

The main sub-traditions of Jainism have historically disagreed, with Digambaras sky-clad, naked mendicant order stating that a woman is by her nature and her body unable to practice asceticism, such as by living naked, and therefore she cannot achieve spiritual liberation because of her gender. She can at best, state the Digambara texts, live an ethical life so that she is reborn as a man in a future life.

Rebirth and realms of existence are foundational teachings of Mahavira. According to the Acaranga SutraMahavira comprehended life to exist in myriad forms, such as animals, plants, insects, water bodies, fire bodies, wind bodies, elemental forms, and others. Mahavira preached that the nature of existence is cyclic, where the jiva soul of beings is reborn after death in one of the triloka — heavenly, hellish, or earthly realms of existence and suffering.

It is the Jina who have reached Kevala Jnana who are not reborn again, [] and attain the Siddhaloka or the "Realm of the Perfected Ones". Mahavira has been mistakenly called the founder of Jainism. For example, the 22nd Tirthankara Arishtanemi is believed in the Jain tradition to have been born 84, years before the 23rd Tirthankara named Parshvanatha.

Jain texts suggest that Mahavira's parents were lay devotees and followers of Parshvanatha. However, the lack of details and mythical nature of the legends about Parshvanatha, [] [] combined with medieval-era Svetambara texts portraying Parsvites as "pseudo-ascetics" with "dubious practices of magic and astrology" have led scholars to debate the evidence for Parshvanatha's historicity.

Parshvanatha, as the one who "removes obstacles and has the capacity to save", has been a highly popular icon and his image the greatest focus of Jain devotional activity in temples. According to Moriz WinternitzMahavira may be considered as a reformer of a pre-existing sect of Jains called Niganthas fetter-less that is mentioned in early Buddhist texts.

It is celebrated at the same time as the Hindu festival of Diwali. Diwali marks the New Year for Jains and commemorates the passing of their 24th Tirthankara Mahavira and his achievement of moksha. The Svayambhustotra by Acharya Samantabhadra is the adoration of twenty-four Tirthankaras. Its eight shlokas aphorisms express adoration of the qualities of Mahavira.

O Lord Jina! Accomplished sages who have invalidated the so-called deities that are famous in the world, and have made ineffective the whip of all blemishes, adore your doctrine. The Yuktyanusasana by Acharya Samantabhadra is a poetic work consisting of 64 verses in praise of Mahavira. Mahavira's teachings influenced many personalities.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote:. The tattva s serve to explain the mechanism of transmigration, the innumerable reincarnations of the soul, and the soul's final liberation. They must train themselves to follow the ideal pattern of life, which has been set by the Jina, and they must master the "three jewels" of right Jain faith, right knowledge, and right conduct; "right conduct" necessitates performing the difficult and constant ascetic exercises that were undertaken by the Jina himself.

As a consequence, from the beginning great importance has been attached to religious life and to the organization of the community, in which the female devotees seem to have been particularly active and numerous. Nevertheless, there is no reason to doubt the historicity of this vigorous original thinker and extremely capable organizer.

While naturally accepting many of the basic assumptions of his society and his era, he was one of the first to oppose the Brahmanic ritualistic orthodoxy and to suceed in building a coherent system aimed at explaining the laws of the universe and the place of humankind therein, thus clearly linking metaphysics with ethics and speculation with social organization.

It has been justly emphasized that Jainism like early Buddhism integrated many older beliefs and practices that had previously been nurtured only by isolated Brahmanic ascetics. Jainism has thus been equated with some of the most typically Indian tendencies and ideals; indeed, Jainism did much to enrich Indian ideals of spirituality. This last ideal constitutes the first vow of the Jains, which is a dedication to tolerance, unabated benevolence, and vegetarianism.

Following his path and the example he had set, Jain nirgrantha s religious mendicants as well as laypersons have achieved the material as well as the spiritual glory of Jainism. The Digambara views are clearly presented in Padmanabh S. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. January 8, Retrieved January 08, from Encyclopedia.

Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia. Mahavira was an Indian philosopher who lived a life of extreme piety, or devotion. He is regarded as the founder of a religion called Jainism, which is practiced primarily in India.

Jains, however, would say that Mahavira did not "found" Jainism. They would instead say he rediscovered or reinvigorated Jain principles and beliefs that had always existed. There are few biographical records of Mahavira in existence, and much of what is known about his life is more mythical than factual. The term hagiographyfrom the Greek word hagiosmeaning "saint," is sometimes used to refer to a biography that idealizes saintly figures.

The legends that surround the life of Mahavira fall into the category of hagiography. One major uncertainty concerns exactly when Mahavira lived. Some evidence suggests that his life overlapped with that of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama — bce; see entrythe founder of Buddhism. If this is correct, he may have been born in about bce and died in about bce.

Many sources, however, give other birth and death dates. Certain Western scholars believe he was born around bceand his date of death was about bce. Jains believe that Mahavira was born "seventy-five years before the fourth descending period of the current era," referring to Jain measurements of historical time. This would put his birth date at bce and his death date at bce.

Mahavira was born in Kundagrama, a village in Bihar, a modern-day Indian state in the northeast whose capital city is Patna. His birth name was Vardhamana, which means "prospering. Vardhamana came from a royal family and was considered a member of the warrior caste, called the Kshatriya. Castes are hereditary Indian social classes. His mother, Trishala, was related to the ruler of the nearby city of Vaisali, and his father, Siddhartha, was a local king.

According to legend Vardhamana was originally conceived by a Brahmin mother, Devananda. Brahmins are the highest Indian caste and are usually priests, religious teachers, and intellectuals. The embryo was then moved into Trishala's womb. The legends also hold that Vardhamana's conception was foretold to his mother in a series of dreams. These dreams, called "auspicious dreams" favorable or lucky dreams included images of a lion, the full moon, the rising sun, an ocean of milk, a white bull, and a white elephant.

These dreams are described in Jain literature and are often depicted in temples. As a child Vardhamana received an education that was suitable for a prince. According to one of the two main sects, or divisions, of Jainism, he married a princess named Yasoda, and the couple had a daughter. The other major sect of Jainism denies that he married and had a child.

This sect believes that he had no ties to other people in the world. The most important event in Vardhamana's life was his decision at about age thirty to renounce, or give up, his worldly possessions. After the death of his parents, he gave away all of his property, pulled out his hair, and became a wandering ascetic, or sadhanameaning that he lived a life of total self-discipline and piety.

He traveled around the country begging for food. At first, his only possession was a single robe, but he eventually gave up even that and went naked. He never stayed in one village for more than a day at a time and refused to shelter himself from either cold or heat. When he walked or sat, he was careful never to injure any living thing.

For this reason, he traveled less during the rainy seasons, when paths would be filled with life forms that he did not want to injure. As part of this determination, Vardhamana was a vegetarian, or a person who does not eat meat. He even strained his drinking water to ensure that no creatures were living in it. There are two mahavira buddha biography short sects, or divisions, in Jainism: the Digambarawhich translates as "sky clad," and the Svetambarawhich translates as "white clad.

This problem arose in part because Mahavira's teachings were not written down until well after his death, so followers had no reliable texts to use as references. The Digambaras are the more austere, or morally strict, sect of Jainism. Unlike Svetambaras, Digambaras do not believe that women can achieve freedom until they have been reborn as men.

This is partly because Digambara monks do not wear clothing. Because they believe remaining naked would be more impractical for women, they claim women have to be reborn as men in order to lead completely austere lives. The two sects also have different views about the nature of Jinaswho are godlike enlightened mahavira buddhas biography short. Unlike the Svetambaras, Digambaras believe that Jinas do not require food, do not have bodily functions, nor do they carry out any functions in the world.

Additionally the religious images of the two sects differ. Digambara images of the Tirthankarathe revered Jain teachers, always have downcast eyes, signifying meditation deep and concentrated thinking. The figures are always plain and naked. Indrabhuti used to be a proud Sanskrit scholar, but after meeting Mahavira, he realised that his spiritual knowledge and spiritual realisation was infinitely greater than his own book knowledge.

He became deeply devoted to his Master. He emphasised the importance of avoiding harm to any creature. Not only did he advocate a vegetarian diet, but took ahimsa to its full conclusion and taught that all beings, including insects, should not be harmed. Mahavira also taught the real ahimsa is not just avoiding physical harm, but even in our thoughts, we need to avoid causing negative vibrations.

Because of the sensitivity to killing even the smallest creatures, Jains have often avoided agriculture on the grounds it often leads to the death of small creatures. Jains have tended to gravitate towards commerce and trade as alternative occupations. Although a small percentage of the Indian population, they have tended to be well educated and played a leading role in the intellect and spiritual life of India.

Mahatma Gandhi was strongly influenced by Jain teachings, and he made ahimsa a key component of his personal and political philosophy. May I have a friendly relationship with all beings and unfriendly with none. Mahavira taught the doctrine of reincarnation, stating that souls would continue to be reborn until all our karmas had been worked off and the soul achieved realisation.

To this end, followers should seek to accumulate good karmas — such as service to others and especially monks, and avoid bad karmas — lying, stealing. In Jain texts, the 26 previous incarnations of Mahavira are listed. Also, although Mahavira taught the philosophy of karma, he stressed that we were not victims of our fate and past karmas, but always have the opportunity to transcend our preordained fate through prayer and meditation.

We are not completely subject to fate. If we pray and meditate, we can go far beyond the results of our past actions. Mahavira was also very particular about avoiding sensual pleasures — for monks he advocated a strict brahmacharya and modesty in eating. Fasting is seen as a way to accumulate merit. After setting up a monastic order for men, Mahavira later agreed to initiate women, which at the time was not the accepted spiritual norm.

His first female disciple was Chandana, the daughter of a king killed in battle. Mahavira also criticised the existing Hindu caste system, arguing that all humans were equal before God. At the age of thirty, following the deaths of his parents, he left his family, gave up his worldly possessions, and spent twelve years as an ascetic. At one point, it is said that Mahavira had more thanfollowers, though this figure comes from a later Jain document and may have been exaggerated.

The dates of Mahavira's death are disputed. Shevtambara Jains say he passed away in the year B. Digambaras say the date B. Western scholars favor a dating of B. Many Jains consider Dipavali, the last day of the Hindu and Jain calendars, as the anniversary of his death and, accordingly, the day he attained siddha loka enlightenment. His birthday is celebrated as Mahavir Jayanti.

A few centuries after Mahavira's death, the Jain religious order Sangha divided over different interpretations of the nature of the sangha, female inclusion in monasteries, and the role of clothing. Later generations saw the introduction of ritualistic complexities that some have criticized as almost placing Mahavira and other Tirthankaras on the thrones of Hindu deities.

After renouncing his princely status, Mahavira spent the next twelve and half years in deep silence and meditation seeking to conquer his desires, feelings, and attachments. He carefully avoided harming or annoying other living beings including animalsbirdsand plants.

Mahavira buddha biography short

Legend tells us, however, that he suffered from the elements, including animals and insects. He also went without food for long periods. It is of note, however, that the earliest sources do not indicate any supernatural obstacles—Mahavira struggles against nature and hostile human beings, but never against demons. His victory over these obstacles and his enduring calm and peaceful character against all unbearable hardships is reflected in his title, Mahavira a Sanskrit word, meaning very brave and courageousgiven to him by his peers though later attributed to the gods.

After this twelve and a half year period, Jains believe that he attained kevalaor perfect enlightenment, in which perfect perception, knowledge, power, and bliss are said to be realized. Mahavira spent the next thirty years traveling around India teaching the people the central doctrines of Jainism. The ultimate objective of his teaching was to explain how one can attain total freedom from the cycle of rebirth to achieve the permanent blissful state.

Mahavira attracted people from all walks of life, rich and poor, kings and commoners, men and women, princes and priests, touchable and untouchable. He organized his followers into a four-fold order, namely monk Sadhunun Sadhvilayman Shravakand laywoman Shravika. This order is known as Chaturvidh Jain Sangh.