Jain or Jaina, means a follower of Jina, which is applied to those persons who have conquered the lower nature, passion, hatred, etc. It is a dharmic religion and philosophy originating in Ancient India. The word `Jain` comes from the word `Jina` which means a conqueror. `Jina` comes from the root `Ji`-`to conquer`. It means conquering the passions like lust, anger, pride and greed are considered as the major passions, which are considered as the enemy of the souls. It does not mean conquering nations.

The Jina or the `conquering saint`, who has conquered all worldly desires is with Jains what the Buddha or the perfectly enlightened saint is with Buddhas. He is also called Jineswara (chief of the Jinas), Arhat, "the venerable", Tirthankara or the saint who has made the passage of the world. The Jains follow the teachings of Tirthankaras. `Tirtha` literally means a ford, a means of crossing over. It metaphorically denotes a spiritual guide or philosophy, which enables one to cross over the ocean of recurring births in this world. `Kara` means `one who makes`. The word Tirthankara means a `Jain Holy Teacher`. These teachers or Tirthankaras are not creators or rulers of the world. They are pure divine souls, who have attained perfection and can never again take human birth. Jainism stresses spiritual independence and equality of all life with particular emphasis on non-violence.

Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, is not the founder of Jainism, but the first active propagator who revived the Jain doctrines. `Maha` means `great` and `Vira` means `a hero`. Jainism is similar and has much in common to the Buddhistic ideas. The idols, which represent the Tirthankaras, are like that of Buddha in a meditative posture. Like those of the Buddha, Mahavira`s doctrines were formulated as a reaction to and rejection of the Brahmanism (religion based on the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas and Upanisads) then taking shape.

The Jain beliefs:
The Jain theory is based on reason. It is based on right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct, tempered with mercy. Jainism is not a theistic system in the sense of the belief in the existence of a God as the Creator and the Ruler of the world. The highest being in the Jain philosophy is a person and not a Being without attributes like the Brahman of the Vedanta. They believe in Moksha, and thus believe that all souls are equal. Tirthankars and Siddhas are role models only because they have attained Moksha. Jains believe that every human is responsible for his/her actions. Jains do not believe in an omnipotent supreme being, creator or manager (karta), but rather in an eternal universe governed by natural laws and the interplay of its attributes (gunas) and matter (dravya). Compassion for all life, human and non-human, is central to Jainism. It is the only religion that requires monks and laity, from all its sects and traditions, to be vegetarian. They refuse food which are the result of unnecessary cruelty. The Jain diet excludes most root vegetables, as they believe this destroys entire plants unnecessarily. They eat fruits which have fallen from the tree and not by plucking them off. Garlic and onions are avoided as these are seen as creating passion, meaning anger, hatred, and jealousy. Devout Jains do not eat, drink, or travel after sunset (Chauvihar) and rise before sunrise.

The Jain philosophy:
Jainism divides the whole universe into two main divisions viz., sentient beings (Chetana, also called Jiva or Soul) and non-sentient things (Jada, also called Ajiva or non-soul). Soul is that element which thinks, knows and feels. It is the divine element in the living being. The true nature of the soul is right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. The soul is undergoing evolution and involution, so long as it is subject to transmigration. Whatever is not soul is non-soul (Ajiva).

According to Jain thought, the basic constituents of reality are souls (jiva), matter (pudgala), motion (dharma), rest (adharma), space (akasa), and time (kala). Jainism does not regard God as a Creator. Why did God create this world or this universe? Only he can be called God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and who is devoid of desires, and passions. If God has created such a world impelled by his desire or curiosity, then the question arises whether he can be called God at all if he is a thrall to passions and desires. How can we say that God is "Karunanidhi"(treasure of benevolence) if he causes sorrow to others for his pleasure? The Jain idea of Godhood is the perfected Soul (Siddha), the liberated soul (Mukta). The Jains worship these liberated souls (Tirthankaras) who have destroyed all Karmas and attained salvation, as their God. The gods and other superhuman beings are all just as subject to karma and rebirth as human beings are. By their actions, souls accumulate karma, which is understood to be a kind of matter, and that accumulation draws them back into a body after death. Hence, all souls have undergone an infinite number of previous lives, and-with the exception of those who win release from the bondage of karma-will continue to reincarnate, each new life determined by the kind and amount of karma accumulated. Eventually it unfolds its absolute purity by breaking the bonds of Karma and attains perfection, Nirvana or Mukti. The Jains regard the Jain Tirthankara to be free from faults. He is true God. He is the knower of all things and the revealer of Dharma. He is free from the 18 kinds of blemishes viz., hunger, thirst, senility, disease, birth, death, fear, pride, attachment, aversion, infatuation, worry, conceit, hatred, uneasiness, sweat, sleep and surprise.

Every living thing has a soul, so every living thing can be harmed or helped. For purposes of assessing the worth of actions (see Ethics, below), living things are classified in a hierarchy according to the kinds of senses they have; the more senses a being has, the more ways it can be harmed or helped. Plants, various one-celled animals, and `elemental` beings (beings made of one of the four elements-earth, air, fire, or water) have only one sense, the sense of touch. Worms and many insects have the senses of touch and taste. Other insects, like ants and lice, have those two senses plus the sense of smell. Flies and bees, along with other higher insects, also have sight. Human beings, along with birds, fish, and most terrestrial animals, have all five senses. This complete set of senses makes all kinds of knowledge available to human beings, including knowledge of the human condition and the need for liberation from rebirth.

There are six real substances, which constitute the world. These six are space, time, matter, souls, Dharmastikaya (fulcrum of motion) and Adharmastikaya (fulcrum of stability, or rest). Space serves as a receptacle for the other substances. It is infinite. Time is real. It is beginningless and endless. Material objects consist of atoms.

The proper goal for a Jain is release from death and rebirth, and rebirth is caused by the accumulation of karma, all Jain ethics aims at purging karma that has been accumulated, and ceasing to accumulate new karma. Like Buddhists and Hindus, Jains believe that good karma leads to better circumstances in the next life, and bad karma to worse. However, since they conceive karma to be a material substance that draws the soul back into the body, all karma, both good and bad, leads to rebirth in the body. No karma can help a person achieve liberation from rebirth. Karma comes in different kinds, according to the kind of actions and intentions that attract it. In particular, it comes from four basic sources:

(1) attachment to worldly things,
(2) the passions, such as anger, greed, fear, pride, etc.,
(3) sensual enjoyment, and
(4) ignorance, or false belief. Only the first three have a directly ethical or moral upshot, since ignorance is cured by knowledge, not by moral action.

The doctrine of Karma occupies a very prominent place in the Jain philosophy. Punya is the effect of virtuous deeds (Subha Karma). Papa is the effect of evil deeds (Asubha Karma). If a man has abundance of good actions, his happiness increases; if he has abundance of evil deeds, his miseries and pain increase. When both the good and evil deeds are eliminated, he attains emancipation or Moksha.

The Jains believe in reincarnation, the companion of the doctrine of Karma. The doctrine of reincarnation alone can explain the inequality seen in the world. Why is one man born rich and the other poor? Why is one man healthy and strong, and another man weak and unhealthy? Why one man lives for 30 years, and another for 85 years? Why one man is a king and another a labourer in the field? What is the cause of this apparent injustice? Karma. Good Karmas give good birth. Evil Karmas give rise to low births.

Moksha is the total elimination of Karma from the Jiva. The Jiva gets freedom as soon as it attains this stage. The liberated state is known as Mukti. The Jiva attains perfect, unlimited, eternal happiness, untouched by cares and worries. Moksha implies freedom from matter. The liberated soul goes to the abode Siddhakshetra, which is at the top of this world.

The three pronouncements: Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct constitute the path to Nirvana. Wrong beliefs, wrong knowledge and wrong conduct prolong the bondage of the souls. Right knowledge reveals the nature of things as it is and with certainty. That noble soul who has right knowledge on account of right faith begins to practise the rules of right conduct, to attain the state of desirelessness by eradicating likes and dislikes, which destroy the five kinds of sin viz. Himsa (injury), falsehood, theft, unchastity and attachment to mundane objects.

Universal Principles of Jainism: Ahimsa (non-injury), Satyam (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha (non-covetousness). The wheel on the palm, symbolizing the Jain Vow of Ahimsa, represents ahimsa or non-violence. Right in the center of the palm is written "Ahimsa". The wheel represents the dharmacakra, to halt the cycle of reincarnation through relentless pursuit of truth. Jain monks walk barefoot and sweep the ground in front of them to avoid killing any insect. While performing holy deeds, Svetambar Jains wear cloths (Muhapatti) over their mouths and noses to avoid saliva falling on texts or revered images. According to the earliest Jain documents, plants both are and contain living beings, although one-sensed beings, so even a vegetarian life does harm. This is why the ideal way to end one`s life, for a Jain, is to sit motionless and starve to death. Mahavira himself, and other great Jain saints, are said to have died this way. That is the only way to be sure you are doing no harm to any living being.

Major Jain symbols:
The Swastika is the holiest and the most important Jain symbol. is an equilateral crosswith its arms bent at right angles, in either left-facing or right-facing forms. The term is derived from Sanskrit svasti, meaning well-being. It is a widely-used sacred symbol in Dharmic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism). Hindus often decorate the swastika with a dot in each quadrant.

The other major symbols are : the 24 Lanchhanas for the Tirthankaras, the Ashthamangals, the Triratna and Shrivasta, A Tirthankar`s or Chakravarti`s mother dreams and Dharmacakra and Siddha-chakra.

The Triratna or The Three Jewels, also rendered as Three Treasures, Three Refuges or Triple Gem are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to, and in return look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. Shrivatsa is an ancient auspicious symbol in India. In Jainism, it often marks the chest of the Tirthankara statue. It is one of the ashtamangala.

Chakravarty, literally meaning "turner of the wheel" is a term used for a successful conqueror or imperial ruler of all or most of the subcontinent of India, both in legend and in history.

Dharmacakra or the "Wheel of Dharma" is an auspicious symbol representing a dharma (law) in Hinduism and the Buddha`s teaching of the path to enlightenment. It is also sometimes translated as wheel of doctrine or wheel of law.

Siddha-chakra is one of the Jain yantras. It is circular with 5+4 = 9 petals, one of which is marked with representation of a siddha, a liberated soul.

Every day most Jains bow and say their universal prayer, the Namokar Mantra, a prayer where the Jains do not pray to a specific Tirthankar or monk by name. By saluting them, Jains believe they receive the inspiration from the five benevolent for the right path of true happiness and total freedom from the misery of life. Jains have built temples, or Basadi, where images of Tirthankars are venerated. Jain rituals may be elaborate because symbolic objects are offered and Tirthankars praised in song. Jains salute the virtues of the Pancha Parmeshti, or five benevolents: The Arihants, Siddhas, Acharyas, Upadhyayas, and normal monks.

The Digambar and Shvetambar sects:
It is believed that the Jains were divided after the nirvana of the great Maharvira, into two major sects: Digambar and Shvetambar. In sanskrit, ambar [pronounced as `umber`] means a covering like a garment. `Dig`, an older form of `disha`, means the North, east, south and west directions. Digamber, therefore means, those whose garment is only the four directions. `Shwet` means white and shwetambers are those who wear white coverings.