What is Jainism?

There are about 15000 Jain monks in India. They live an ascetic life, wander here and there and preach the people. The Jain monks are divided in 4 various sects. Monks of Digambar sect are naked, while other wear white cloths, including the nuns of Digambar sect. All the monks and nuns wander on their bare feet. They wander all over India and neighboring Nepal. Many of the Jain monks and nuns are highly educated, know at least three languages and write books on Jainism related topics.

Anybody who have studied basics of Jainism and follow the principles, can become a Jain monk or nun. It is not necessary to be a born Jain to become a Jain monk or nun.

There are about 10 millions of the followers of Jainism in India, and another 10 millions in the other parts of the world.

The Jain population in India is less than 1% of the total population. However, Jains have contributed a lot in the building of modern India. They are working in various fields including Business and Industry, Education, Film Industry, Government and Politics, Art, Science  & Technology, Social Activities etc.

It is interesting to know that Jains are the most literate people of India. Most of the Jains belong to Middle Class, Higher Middle Class and Higher Class families.

The followers of Jainism are spread all over India. Most of them are multilingual people, however their Mother Tongue is generally one of the following languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannad, Tamil, Tulu, Marawadi. Hindi is second language for most of the Jains, if it is not first one.

Every Jain has to follow following principles:

Ahimsa i.e. Non-Violence: Not to kill or cause to kill any animals.

Truth: Always choose the path of truthfulness.

Non-Stealing: Not to steal anything

Celibacy: Abstaining from sexual activities with other than spouse.

Non-Attachment: Not being attached with material things.

The same vows are for Jain monks, but for them the degree of following is very higher.

There are many famous followers of Jainism worldwide. Here is a small list:

Claudia Pastorino: Pop singer from Italy
Dr. Michael Tobias: Film Producer and Author from USA
Charlotte Laws: American Author and Animal Rights Activist
Ajit Jain: Possible successor to Warren Buffett
Anshu Jain: Global Head and Managing Director of capital markets at Deutsche Bank.
Sunny Jain: Musician and Music Composer
Sheetal Seth: American actress and producer
Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Director of Hindi movies
Dr. Vikram Sarabhai: Father of Indian space program
V Shantaram: One of the Pioneers of Indian film industry
Kiran Shah: Hollywood actor and stuntman

Some great people of India and other countries were inspired and influenced by Jainism. Such persons include Pythagoras, George Bernard Shaw, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.