Jainism

Summary

Hermann Jacobi’s comprehensive essay ‘Jainism’ presents the religion as a monastic‑lay tradition rooted in ancient India and structured around a dual community of monks and householders. He explains that Jainism is divided into Śvetāmbara (‘white‑robed’) and Digambara (‘sky‑clad’) branches whose monastic practices differ, though their doctrines are largely shared. Situating Jainism alongside early Indian philosophies such as Sāṃkhya, Yoga and Buddhism, Jacobi notes its pessimistic assessment of worldly existence and its goal of liberation through right knowledge, faith and conduct. Jain metaphysics posits innumerable individual souls (jīvas) inherently pure but bound by karma to cycles of birth and death; liberation is achieved by shedding karma through ethical discipline and ascetic practice. Jacobi expounds the doctrines of anekāntavāda (non‑absolutism) and syādvāda (the doctrine of conditioned predication), which encourage tolerance and recognition of multiple viewpoints. He details the five great vows—non‑violence, truthfulness, non‑stealing, chastity and non‑possession—and discusses lay vows and rules governing diet, ritual and charity. The article describes the Jain universe as comprising hells, the middle world inhabited by humans and other beings, and the upper world where liberated souls dwell. Jacobi emphasises that Jainism lacks a creator God, focusing instead on individual effort and the example of the Tīrthaṅkaras. He surveys Jain scriptures, including the Āgamas, and notes the religion’s contributions to Indian art, literature and logic. The essay underscores Jainism’s unique combination of rigorous ethics, metaphysical subtlety and pragmatic pluralism, which have allowed it to survive as a distinct religious tradition for more than two millennia.