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Five hundred years before the Common Era two teachers lived in northern India. Their teachings gave birth to two of the worlds great faiths, the Buddhist and Jain religious. These teachers were Gautama Buddha and Trithankara Mahavira. Both hailed from royal families, both abandoned their privileged lives to pursue asceticism, and both gained large followings. Jainisim unlike Buddhism, never strayed far from its original homelands until the twentieth century, and its followers have remained relatively few- worldwide approximately 3.5 million in 2005. Yet Jains- often found involved with business or education have enriched the religious and cultural life of India far more than their small numbers would suggest. Their most celebrated doctrine- ahimsa or non-violence-was made famous in the twentieth their temples are the most exquisite and architecturally sophisticated of any ever built in India.

Five hundred years before the Common Era two teachers lived in northern India. Their teachings gave birth to two of the worlds great faiths, the Buddhist and Jain religious. These teachers were Gautama Buddha and Trithankara Mahavira. Both hailed from royal families, both abandoned their privileged lives to pursue asceticism, and both gained large followings. Jainisim unlike Buddhism, never strayed far from its original homelands until the twentieth century, and its followers have remained relatively few- worldwide approximately 3.5 million in 2005. Yet Jains- often found involved with business or education have enriched the religious and cultural life of India...  Read More