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Jain Punishment

Benst

Member
If my understanding is correct, the layers of hells are just like the layers of paradises. Just different worlds that are not entirely ideal to attain liberation. If you're born a God, you won't want to try to attain moksha because you're enjoying yourself too much. The Hells are the opposite end of the spectrum, you have to work off whatever karmic misdeed lead you there. You won't be in a hell forever though!
 

Benst

Member
But this hell is like torture right?,hurts it's inhabitants?

There are various hells, but you are reborn into Hell, you're not sent there as a Human being. You experience pain and torture down there and even worse, you cannot even hope to attain moksha there because of the uncleanliness of the place.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
If my understanding is correct, the layers of hells are just like the layers of paradises. Just different worlds that are not entirely ideal to attain liberation. If you're born a God, ..
Kindly remember, Jainism also has no Supreme Gods but has demi-Gods much like Buddhism. Cosmos according to Jains:

300px-Jain_universe.JPG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jain_cosmology#Urdhva_Loka.2C_the_upper_world
 
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Benst

Member
but where the hellish beings are,people still have free will and it is just like life but worse there?

In a sense yes. I'm not a Jain myself but based on what I have read, the hells are places of torment, but you will eventually be able to be reborn in another part of the Universe. But they are not like the Christian places of torment where YOU as an individual go... your incarnation down there doesn't remember being you, and lives his/her own life until they die and are reborn there.
 

Benst

Member
So do you think Jain's can ever believe that people aren't punished?,or is it impossible?

It isn't so much a thing of being punished...it's a case of cause and effect, and also about karmic debt. Think of it this way, in basic terms (and do tell me if I have this wrong) a Jain's goal is to purify himself/herself spiritually to a point where your being is liberated from the cycle of reincarnation. What keeps you on this cycle? Attachment to the world. Attachment is created by karma, specifically negetive karma. The absolute ideal is non-violence... because they believe absolute non-violence is existence without causing suffering or any kind to any living being. If you cause death to something, then you are going to be killed in a similar manner in a future life. This life you lead now is believed to be caused by merit from previous lives. Lets say you were a cow in a past life, and you were the best cow possible... you carefully walked around other beings, you tried to chew grass that had no bugs on it, etc,. That life allowed you to become a Human being. If you act like a violent thug in this life then technically you are no better than a demon and will be reborn as one to suffer for a time in a hell. It isn't something that is punishing you, it just is. The only escape is liberation.

Different sects believe different things. The Digambaras (the skyclad sect) believe that if you become so spiritually pure, your body will turn to solid diamond and you will cease interacting with the world. The Swetambaras believe that you will elevate to a place higher than the world and will not be affected by it. Does that make sense?
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Obviously, it makes sense to Jains, just as much as Jesus ... or Mohammad ... or Vishnu ... :D

Basically karma, reward and punishment, in dharmic religions is a social construct to encourage people to be good and desist from evil. That is the beginning and the end of the story. Carrot and Stick. That is heaven and hell. In case of Jains, I read from Wikipedia that the stay, though not eternal, is very long, in millions of years. Among Hindus, it is much shorter, may be months or a few years. When I find out exactly what, I will let you know. :D
 
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Beena Jain

New Member
In Jainism,do believers have to believe in the layers of Hell?

In Jainism, as in all other religions, the layers of Hell are existent but in one life only, the next life is it. If we sin in the next life too, then we are held up in a birth and death cycle again. Otherwise we rise upwards towards Moksh, Heaven. To enter Heaven we must not have any sin upon us, minor, major or dire. We can have attachments to this world and life here, any amount we like, but we must not have attachments to wrongs things. This is to say that when we do not do wrong things or think wrong things, we are then liberated, raised to the level of Moksh, Heaven. Then we resume our life back in Heaven again, no longer fallen in sin. Life in Heaven is no pain, no suffering, no disease, and no death to go through.
 
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