Jainism offers a truly enlightened perspective based on the equality of souls; irrespective of physical forms, ranging from human beings to animals and microscopic living organisms. Among all living beings, humans alone are endowed with all the six senses- sight, sound, taste, smell, touch and thought. And that is why humans are expected to act responsibly towards all living beings by being compassionate, non-egoistic, fearless, forgiving and rational.
‘Jains’ are the followers of the Jinas, referred to as God. ‘Jina,’ literally conqueror, stands for he who has conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed his soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability. Jinas teach us to reduce vices such as raag (attachment), dvesh (aversion), krodh (anger), man (pride), maya (deceit) and lobh...