What are the differences between Jainism and Hinduism?

Answer 1

The sacred books of the Hindus like Vedas, Smrtis, Puranas etc. are not accepted by the Jainas and the Hindus also do not recognize even a single scripture of the Jainas.

While the Jainas regard the world as eternal, the Hindus hold it to have been made by a creator.

In Jainism, worship is not offered to an eternal and eternally pure God, but to those great ones who have realized their high ideal and attained Godhood for themselves; in Hinduism worship is performed of many forms of one God who is the creator and the ruler of the world.

The significance of worship in Hinduism is also not the same as that in Jainism. In Jainism, there is no offering of food and the like, nor is a prayer made to the deity for boons. On the other hand, in Hinduism the attainment of the desired object is by the will of certain divine beings who are to be propitiated.

As Hinduism is a sacrificial religion, the performance of several sacrifices for a variety of reasons and for different duration has got an important place in it. This is not the case with Jainism and especially the animal sacrifices practiced by the Hindus have absolutely no place in Jainism.

While the Hindus believe that Gods alone can attain salvation, the Jainas consider that it is, the right of human beings only.

The Hindus regard Karma as an invisible power but the Jainas think it as a form of matter which can stick to the soul.

In Jainism there are various concepts like dharma, adharma, lesya, gunasthana etc., which are not found in Hindu spiritual ideology

The Jaina deities, temples, places of pilgrimage, holy days, fasts, festivals, rituals and ceremonies are quite different from those of the Hindus.

Answer 2

Jainism (pronounced in English as IPA [ˈdʒeɪ.nɪzm̩]), traditionally known as Jain Dharma (जैन धर्म), is a dharmic religion and philosophy originating in Ancient India. The Jains follow the teachings of Tirthankaras. The 24th Tirthankara Lord Mahavira lived in ca. 6th century BC. A small but influential minority in modern India, with growing immigrant communities in the United States, Western Europe, Africa, the Far East and elsewhere, Jains continue to sustain the ancient Shraman (श्रमण) or ascetic tradition.

Jains have significantly influenced the religious, ethical, political and economic spheres in India for more than two millennia. Jainism stresses spiritual independence and equality of all life with particular emphasis on non-violence. Self-control (व्रत, vratae) is vital for attaining omniscience (kevalgnan) and eventually moksha, or realization of the soul's true nature.

The Jains have an ancient tradition of scholarship. The Jains are the best educated religious community in India (Jains in India according to 2001 census), and the Jain libraries are India's oldest.


Hinduism (known as Hindū Dharma in some modern Indian languages[1]) is a religion which originated on the Indian subcontinent. In contemporary usage Hinduism is also referred to as Sanātana Dharma (सनातन धर्म), a Sanskrit phrase meaning "eternal law".[2]

With its origins in the Vedic civilization [3] it has no known founder,[4][5] being itself a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions. It is the world's oldest extant religion, [6][7] and has approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal,[8] placing it as the world's third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Other countries with large Hindu populations include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

Hinduism contains a vast body of scriptures. Divided as revealed and remembered and developed over thousands of years, these scriptures expound on a broad of range of theology, philosophy and mythology, providing spiritual insights and guidance on the practice of dharma (religious living). Among such texts, Hindus consider the Vedas and the Upanishads as being among the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures include the Tantras and the sectarian Agamas, the Purāṇas and the epic Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. The Bhagavad Gītā, a treatise excerpted from the Mahābhārata, is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/jainism.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm

Answer 3

Of the three, Hinduism is the only faith that preaches worship of Godess additionally. In Hinduism on no account a Godess is inferior / weaker than God.Godess Sarswati is the bestower of wealth and Godess Lakshmi is the bestower of wealth. Hinduism is the only faith that preaches empowerment of ladies folk.JAI HINDUISM. With Regards. anandjameel.

Answer 4

JAINISM IS THE OLDEST RELIGION. THE PRICIPLE OF JAINISM IS THAT THE SOUL IS ETERNAL. EACH SOUL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OR HER OWN DEEDS OR KARMAS. HOWEVER IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE PERSON TO GET FREEDOM FROM ALL KARMAS AND ABLE TO ATTAIN THE STATUS AS GOD EVENTUALLY. EVENTUAL GOAL FOR JAINISM IS FREEDOM FROM ALL KARMAS, WHEREAS THE EVENTUAL GOAL FOR HINDUISM IS HEAVEN. HINDUISM ALSO BELIEVES THAT THE SOUL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR KARMAS, HOWEVER HINDUISM BELIEVES THE SUPREME GOD WILL HELP IN GETTING RID OF BAD KARMAS AND EVENTUALLY WILL ATTAIN PLACE IN HEAVEN.

Answer 5

NON-VIOLENCE, PEACE NATURE CARE & PURE VEGETERIAN FOOD ARE THE BASIC ROOTS OF JAINISM.
WHERE AS HINDUISM IS NOT TAKING CARE OF ABOVE TO THE LIMITED EXTENT AND UPTO LIMITED LEVEL ONLY.
SHARAD SHAH

Answer 6

goodness - lots, but too involved to go into in this amount of space.

see: www.jainism.org and www.hindunet.org for a start!