Jain Sutras

Questions for Further Study

1. What is the distinction between Buddhism and Jainism, especially given that the two religions share many characteristics (including reliance on sutras)?

2. What is “karmic debt,” and what role does the concept play in the Jain faith?

3. Respond to the following statement: “The essence of Jainism is vegetarianism.”

4. If, according to the Jain faith, existence is suffering, then in what fundamental ways, if any, does Jainism differ from the Judeo-Christian tradition as reflected in such texts as the biblical book of Genesis? How do Jains, Jews, and Christians deal with suffering in the earthly sphere?

5. Jains do not believe in a creator god. Rather, they believe that the universe and Jainism have always existed. To what extent, then, is Jainism as much a philosophy of life as a religion, as the word is generally understood in the West?

6. The word Jain is derived from the word Jina, which refers to the faith’s great teachers. The word Jina, in turn, literally means “conqueror.” Describe how and why Jains might regard themselves as “conquerors.”