Mahavira and Jainism
I have done a report on Buddhism once this year, and it was the best report I've ever done. I'll tell you why. I, personally, find it interesting when a man can be so strong that he'll basically give up his life for his beliefs. Then its more amazing when he gains such a following from it, it begins his own religion. We're not just talking about winning a presidential election here, Buddha didn't have to fight over a miscount to win his position in Buddhism, as Jesus Christ didn't in the Catholic church. They had to teach the beliefs that they saw right, and even harder live by them, and harder yet be willing to die for them. This is what a consider a true leader, a true man, which is why I am going to tell you about Mahavira, which means "the great souled one, " or "great hero." I picked him for the same reason I find all faiths started by a mere man so interesting. Mahavira was just a man, a man who had everything, but gave it all up for what he believed, and people sa!w this, they saw it and they followed it, they saw it, followed it, and his beliefs still lead people in their lives today. From my research I found that Mahavira didn't start Jainism, "but he brought together in a systematic form the beliefs and philosoph
Mahavira was born Vardhamana in a village twenty - seven miles north of Patna. Most sources say that he was born about 599 B.C., but few say it to be as late as 490 B.C., but I found most to go with the 599 and the more mythical accounts to say the other. His father, Siddhartha, "funny how that was the Buddha's name before he found enlightment??" and his mother Trisala were both decedents of kings. Until his late twenties he led the life you would expect from the son of a noble family. A few of my sources used the term princely for his upbringing. He received the best education and he was married at an early age. Both his parents were followers of Parsua, which taught against violence, theft, untruth, etc., these are the people that now we call Jains. It was after this thirteenth year that the newly named Mahavira spent the rest of his life teaching, and more importantly organizing his followers. This is more reason that I found Mahavira to be such a great man, First, Mahavira's awesome success in winning followers, and making them his monks and nuns. Then, training them to go out and teach. Much as Jesus did with his apostles. He was also able to gain the following of the layman and laywoman, which is also a great trait. He obviously could relate to the lower class of the time and knew that they were humans too, and needed to be included just as much as the rich landowner. Then of course why I really like the guy, He practiced what he preached. Mahavira taught that the center of right conduct was the five great vows that he preached until his death, and his monks and nuns were to follow precisely. Four of these were from the previous teacher and the fifth was his own. The vows were not to take anyone's private possessions, called asteya. To always tell the truth, which is called satya. Not to own any property, called aparigraha. Not to injure or annoy any living thing, called ahimsa, and to have complete celibacy, called brahmacarya. Parshva, the previous teacher let his follower's wea
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Approximate Word count = 1363
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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