Jain Teerth Vandana
Jainism encourages spiritual development through cultivation of one's own personal wisdom and reliance on self-control.Right perception, Right knowledge, and Right conduct (triple gems of Jainism) provide the path for attaining liberation (moksha) from the cycles of birth and death (samsara). When the soul sheds its karmic bonds completely, it attains divine consciousness. The goal of Jainism is to realize this soul's true nature. Jainism prescribes a path of non-violence to progress the soul to this ultimate goal. Those who have attained moksha are called siddha (liberated souls), and those attached to the world through their karma are called samsarin (mundane souls). Every soul has to follow the path, as explained by the jinas (victors) and revived by Tirthankaras, to attain the complete liberation or Nirvana.
Jains do not believe in the concept of a God head responsible for the manifestation of the Creation and Maintenance. The universe however keeps changing due to interactions between matter and energy in the course of time and governed by laws of nature with no necessity of a co-ordinator/regulator. It also believes that there is life in other parts of universe other than earth. Jains have extensive knowledge and classifications of various living organisms including micro-organisms that reside in mud, air and water. It teaches respect for all forms of life and encourage minimising harm to other living beings by practicing five major ethical principles.
Jains believe that to attain enlightenment and ultimately liberation, one must practice the following ethical principles (major vows) in thought, speech and action. The degree to which these principles are practiced is different for householders and monks. They are:
1. Non-violence (Ahimsa)
2. Truthfulness (Satya)
3.Non-stealing (Asteya)
4. Celibacy (Brahmacharya)
5. Non-possession or Non-materialism (Aparigraha)
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