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Yesterday, after 10 months and 3 days, my wife snapped. Since many monastic Jains do not typically bathe and I have opted to observe the monastic vows this month, this means I would not bathe either. The idea stems from strict ahimsa (non-violence). Because water itself has life and the surface of our skin as…

The Jain laity makes up the vast majority of the faith’s numbers and is responsible for supporting the Sadhus/Sadhvis. Most of the world’s Jains live in various parts of India depending on their sect. What is important to note about the various sects within the Jain philosophy is that while one group may reject the…

Depending on your source, there are between 4 and 10 million Jains in the world, making it one of the smallest of the world’s religions. Out of those numbers, only a small fraction become Sadhus or Sadhvis (monks and nuns, respectively). I’m beginning to understand why. Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara and founder of modern Jain…

According to legend, after Siddhartha Gautama (Lord Buddha) abandoned palace life in search of truth, he spent six years learning from many teachers and practicing harsh asceticism. In fact, his path of asceticism was so intense, that after years of practice, it nearly killed him by starvation. Once he broke his ascetic vows and took…
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