The Indian Sect of the Jainas

Summary

G. Bühler’s essay ‘The Indian Sect of the Jainas’ examines Jainism as a living religious society in nineteenth‑century India. He describes how Jain communities are dispersed across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and southern India and are divided into two rival branches—the Digambaras and Śvetāmbaras—each with numerous subdivisions. Digambara monks emphasise total nudity and strict asceticism, while Śvetāmbara monks wear white robes; both branches are organised into Gacchas led by Sripujyas or spiritual heads. Bühler recounts how Jain temples and monasteries are maintained by wealthy laity and notes the importance of Bhattaraka priests and Yatis in ritual life. He catalogues the sect’s rich literature, including the Purāṇas that narrate the lives of the twenty‑four Tīrthaṅkaras and the Siddhānta texts that constitute the Digambara canon. The essay discusses Jain festivals, pilgrimage sites such as Mount Abu and Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa, and the elaborate stone temples that exemplify Jain art and architecture. Bühler also analyses Jain ethics, highlighting the emphasis on non‑violence (ahiṃsā), austerity, truthfulness and compassion, and he notes how the Jain concept of cosmological cycles parallels and diverges from Brahmanical and Buddhist schemes. He observes that despite persecution and competition from other religions, Jainism has preserved ancient Indian traditions and contributed significantly to Indian culture through its patronage of arts and preservation of Sanskrit and Prakrit manuscripts. The article situates Jainism within comparative religion, arguing that its austere monastic discipline and sophisticated philosophical doctrines mark it as a unique and enduring spiritual path.