Pilgrimage
In India
Jain
Pilgrimages in India
What is Jainism:-
Originating in the
Indian subcontinent, Jainism - or, more properly, the Jain
Dharma - is one of the oldest religions of its homeland and indeed
of the world. Jains believe that their religion is without a beginning.
The twenty-four Tirthankars guided its evolution and elaboration
by first achieving, and then teaching the path to salvation.
Jain religion is unique in that, during its existence, it
has never compromised on concept of nonviolence either in principle
or practice. It upholds non-violence as the supreme religion (Ahimsa
Paramo Dharmah) and has insisted upon its observance in thought,
word, and deed at the individual as well as social levels.
Jainism begins
with a serious concern for the human soul in its relationship
with the laws governing existence in the universe, with other
living beings, and to its own future state in eternity. First
and foremost, it is a religion of the heart. Jains have deep compassion
for all forms of life. Jainism offers a quiet, overwhelmingly
serious way of life, a cultural insistence on compassion, a society
of ethics that has dramatically changed the world and will continue
to effect change. Jainism is an ecologically responsible
way of life which paves way for a perfectly friendly co-existence
of all the worldly beings.
Jain philosophy describes
the nature of entities (vastu-swabhava) and dharma as 'Vanthu
swabhavo dhammo.' (Nature of entity itself is dharma). Jain
religion presents a truly enlightened perspective of equality
of souls, irrespective of differing physical forms, ranging from
human beings to animals and microscopic living organisms. Humans,
alone among living beings, are endowed with all the six senses
of seeing, hearing, tasting smelling, touching, and thinking;
thus humans are expected to act responsibly towards all life by
being compassionate, ego-less, fearless, forgiving, and rational.
The Way of Life:-
The Jain Dharma has
a code of conduct that guides Jains to live an ideal life. In
short, the code is made up of the following five vows, and all
of their logical conclusions:
1) Ahimsa (non-violence)
2) Satya (truthfulness) 3) Achaurya (non-stealing)
4)Aparigraha (non-possessiveness) 5) Brahmacharya
(chastity).
Jain religion focuses
much attention on Ahimsa (Non-violence) and Aparigraha
(non-possessiveness towards material things) through self-control,
self-imposed penance, abstinence from over-indulgence, voluntary
curtailment of one's needs, and the consequent subsiding of the
aggressive urge.
Vegetarianism is an
extremely integral part of a Jain's way of life. The concept is
based on compassion for living beings, Jiva Daya. The practice
of vegetarianism is seen as an instrument for the practice of
non-violence and peaceful, cooperative coexistence. Jains are
strictly vegetarians, consuming only one-sensed beings, primarily
from the plant kingdom.
While the Jain diet
does, of course, involve harm to plants, it is regarded as a means
of survival which involves the bare minimum amount of violence
towards living beings. (Many forms of plant material, including
roots and certain fruits, are also excluded from the Jain diet
due to the greater number of living beings they contain owing
to the environment in which they develop.)
The Philosophy:-
Jains believe that
God did not create the universe. If God created it, then who created
God ? Who created the creator? If God has created the universe,
he has to have a desire to create. The desire makes the God imperfect
and he cannot be imperfect. From another angle, if God carries
out the task of creation and destruction without any purpose then
it becomes a meaningless game. If he carries out all this work
on account of his supreme grace he would have made all Jivas (souls)
happy and he would have created things that would have given happiness
to all. But that is not the case. Therefore, God must not be managing
the affairs of the universe. On the other hand, Jainism
thinks that every human being has the ability to attain the status
of God.
Since God is omniscient,
omnipotent, and devoid of desires, and passions, He could not
be interested in the matters of universe. Some claim that all
creatures are God's images and we are all parts of Him?" If so,
then, we should all have unlimited bliss, perfect perception,
perfect knowledge and perfect conduct. But that is not true. Therefore,
we cannot be a part of the God or his images.
Jain Concept of
Universe:
As per Jain beliefs,
God has absolute knowledge called Kevalgyan. Therefore, he reveals
the essential and real form of the universe. He revealed that
the world is without a beginning. It has no beginning. It has
no end. The universe does undergo continuous change. Production
and disposal are always going on. But entities never get destructed.
They are always present in dhrauk form. Behind this eternal process
there does not exist anyone's planning or organization. The whole
universe is a self-regulated one.
For living beings,
his/her karma plays an important role. Karma is finest matter
that our soul attracts based on our thought, speech and/or action.
Bad karma pollutes the inherent qualities of the soul. The bondage
and deliverance of each individual belong to himself or herself.
The experience of happiness or sorrow belongs to each individual
and the experience is his own. According to his past karma, his
present fate is decided, and his future will be decided based
on his presented the balance of past karma.
The Doctrine of
Anekanta (Manifold Aspects):
Anekantväd is the
basis of Jainism. It is the life-force of the Jain philosophy.
Because of the beginning-less past and the endless future, a common
person cannot perceive innumerable qualities and infinite modes
of an entity (sat; dravya). At a single moment he/she can be aware
of one or few qualities and modes of the substance. This complex
subject of eternity and transitoriness of the substance involving
innumerable qualities and infinite modes leads to the doctrine
of anekantavada, (manifold aspects). In other words, one cannot
fully describe the nature of substance without anekantavada.
Hindu
Pilgrimages in India
Some of the most important Hindu pilgrimage
sites are found high up in the Himalayas, in the north of
the state of Uttaranchal.Of these, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri
and Gangotri are the most significant.
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Pilgrimage
in India
India has always been considered the land
of spirituality. Though Hinduism continues to be the oldest
religion in the country, India has been the birthplace of
various religions like Bhuddism, Jainism, Sikhism and Sufism,
and has always embraced new religions that other cultures
brought into the country.
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Sikh
Pilgrimages in India
Sikhism, the youngest of the world
religions, is barely five hundred years old. Its founder,
Guru Nanak, was born in 1469. Guru Nanak spread a simple message
of "Ek Ong Kar": we are all one, created by the One Creator
of all Creation.
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Buddhist
Pilgrimages in India
Siddartha Gautama was born in the
sixth century BCE in what is now Nepal. His father, Suddhodana,
was the ruler of the Sakya people, and Siddartha grew up living
the extravagant life of a young prince. His birthplace in
the foothills of the Terai is known as Lumbini which is now
a part of Nepal.
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Christian
Pilgrimages in India
India has a positive Kaleidoscope
of religions. There is probably more diversity of religions
and sects in India than anywhere else in the earth. India
has some of the best known Christian pilgrimage sites. where
Christian missionaries settled and did some of their best
services for the natives and also for the generations of Indians
to remember on their contribution to India’s rich historical
heritage.
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Andhra
Pradesh 