Not Hinduism?

[Madhuri]

I am wondering, why is Jainism not considered a Hindu philosophy?
I admit to not knowing much about Jainism. But from what I can gather, it's very Vedic! There are so many of the same concepts. So why is it considered a completely different religion? What are the main differences that cause this religious separation?

[Arav]

There are many similarities between HInduism and Jainism. Jainism is very similar to the Samkhya Philosophy of Hinduism. Believe it or not, there are some Jains who say that Jainism is apart of Hinduism! I dont believe this and I believe that is wrong because it says that Bhagwan Mahavir's Jain Dharma is just an extention of Sanatana Dharma, instead of being its own Dharma.

Jainism does not believe in the caste system and disbelieves in Ishvara. We dont accept the Vedas to be the truth but that the Jain Agams are the truth. Though, there are many similarities between the faiths, there are major differences like the ones above that seperate them greatly. The difference between Hinduism and Jainism is like that between Chistianity and Islam. Even though there are many things that are the same, there are major philisophical differences that seperate them greatly.

[Madhuri]

Ah, thank you. That makes sense. I guess the acceptance/rejection of the Vedas is the key here because there are Hindu philosophies that are impersonal/monistic.

I really like Jainism, so far. I especially love the emphasis on non-violence.
Thank you for the info!

[Arav]

Originally Posted by Madhuri

Ah, thank you. That makes sense. I guess the acceptance/rejection of the Vedas is the key here because there are Hindu philosophies that are impersonal/monistic.

I really like Jainism, so far. I especially love the emphasis on non-violence.
Thank you for the info!

Yes, the whole Hindu/non-Hindu thing, according to me, has to do with the acceptance of the Vedas. We can see this because of the impersonal/monistic as well as the personal/dualistic philosophies. Though they are very different, completey opposing sides, they still accept the Vedas.

And it is nice to see that you have an interest in Jainism. If you have anymore questions, done hesitate to ask, I would love to answer anything you might question.

[nameless]

Originally Posted by Jai-Jinendra

Jainism does not believe in the caste system

friend jai, hindu caste system is cultural, not religious. Vedas or hindu religion are not responsible for that.

Originally Posted by Jai-Jinendra

and disbelieves in Ishvara

i think not every schools of hinduism believes in ishvara, Hinduism approves every path that can lead to truth without considering its philosophy logic.

Originally Posted by Jai-Jinendra

We dont accept the Vedas to be the truth

you mean acceptance of vedas are not necessary in the path of jainism or because there is errors in vedas?
Inside Hinduism too some schools contradicts philosophies each other, still they all are correct in hindu view point.

[Arav]

Originally Posted by nameless

friend jai, hindu caste system is cultural, not religious. Vedas or hindu religion are not responsible for that..

I belive that Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita that he was a source of the Varna system and that people are put in their place based on the triple Gunas and Karma.

Originally Posted by nameless

i think not every schools of hinduism believes in ishvara, Hinduism approves every path that can lead to truth without considering its philosophy logic..

Yes, I understand and agree that not all Hindus believe in Ishvara. Im not sure that I agree with the second part.

Originally Posted by nameless

you mean acceptance of vedas are not necessary in the path of jainism or because there is errors in vedas?
Inside Hinduism too some schools contradicts philosophies each other, still they all are correct in hindu view point.

Yes, there are many philosophies that contradict eachother in Hinduism, that is because of the flexability of the Veda's and Upanisad's. And the Veda's are not necissary in Jainism because we dont accept them as truth.

[nameless]

Originally Posted by Jai-Jinendra

I belive that Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita that he was a source of the Varna system and that people are put in their place based on the triple Gunas and Karma.

but this has nothing to do with caste system, since caste is decided by birth.

Originally Posted by Jai-Jinendra

Im not sure that I agree with the second part.

it is just my mere understanding, it could be wrong.

Originally Posted by Jai-Jinendra

And the Veda's are not necissary in Jainism because we dont accept them as truth.

thanks jai, but could you pls explain a bit, im confused. ie what exactly is reason for not accepting vedas as truth.

[Arav]

Originally Posted by nameless

but this has nothing to do with caste system, since caste is decided by birth.

I thought that the Varna System was Caste, I could be wrong. But, originally you could change your caste.

Originally Posted by nameless

it is just my mere understanding, it could be wrong..

I should specify, Hinduism may think that all paths lead to the same Goal, But I dont belive that. Sorry for the confusion.

Originally Posted by nameless

thanks jai, but could you pls explain a bit, im confused. ie what exactly is reason for not accepting vedas as truth.

We dont accept the Veda's simply because Mahavir attained maximum peace and liberation seperate from the Veda's. If Mahavir used the Veda's to get to Moksha, we would too. But he brought back Jain Dharma, which is different from Vedic Dharma. He brought the Jain Agams and the Jain Nirjaras, and the Jain Tapas and we follow those. Why? Because if Mahavira attained peace from material existence, then we should follow his teachings so that we can get to were he is. The Veda's are just something that we dont accept, its basically the same reason why Buddhist dont follow the Veda's, because Buddha found peace outside of the Veda's. Understand that when Mahavir attained Keval Gyan (enlightenment) that Brahminism widely practiced and the Caste system became corrupt. So Mahavir looked outside of the Veda's and found peace, and those who didnt like the caste system and didt fully agree with the Veda's liked Mahavira and followed him.

Sorry if this answer isnt clear, its just hard to explain well why we dont accept somethings and accept others.

[Andal]

Namaskar,

Varna and caste (often conflated together) are two different things. The Gita says that each person is placed in a Varna based on their mode of being and inclinations. This does not mean that it's birth based. People who are scholars and brilliant with religion are brahmins. People who think strategically or have a talent for politics are kshaitriya etc. Caste on the other hand is birth based and may have it's roots in the idea that the son should take on the father's business...very similar to what happened in the middle ages of Europe.

I'm glad you're here Jai as we don't have too many Jains these days

[Arav]

Originally Posted by krishnakanta

Namaskar,

Varna and caste (often conflated together) are two different things. The Gita says that each person is placed in a Varna based on their mode of being and inclinations. This does not mean that it's birth based. People who are scholars and brilliant with religion are brahmins. People who think strategically or have a talent for politics are kshaitriya etc. Caste on the other hand is birth based and may have it's roots in the idea that the son should take on the father's business...very similar to what happened in the middle ages of Europe.

Thank you for clearing this up for me! It makes much sense.

Originally Posted by krishnakanta

I'm glad you're here Jai as we don't have too many Jains these days

Well, Im glad to be here and I am very happy to be of help to all those who wish to know more about Jainism.