Vitalism (Jainism)

Vitalism (Jainism)

Vitalism, also known as dynamism is the philosophy expounded by Mahavira, a prominent teacher of Jainism. It combined the earlier Jain teacher Pārśvanātha's asceticism and the naturalistic teachings of the Ājīvikas.

Because life is to be considered sacred and in every living thing, Jains avoid killing any living creature, even down to nits in the hair. Therefore most Jains' hair will taper off at the end not having ever been trimmed. They are not only vegetarian, but decline to eat vegetables that grow under the ground, for fear of injuring a living thing when disturbing the ground during harverst. Often monks will wear masks over the mouth to avoid inhaling anything living, and sweep the ground in front of them as they walk so as not to step on an unseen creature.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Buddhism and Jainism — are the two branches of the Shramana tradition that still exist today. Jainism has been largely confined to India, while Buddhism has largely flourished in countries outside of India. However the two traditions share remarkable… …   Wikipedia

  • Vital — may refer to:* vitalism, the doctrine that life cannot be explained solely by mechanism * vitalism (Jainism), the Jain teacher Mahāvīra s philosophy * Vital, the English name of a number of Roman Catholic saints named Vitalis in Latin * Vitals ,… …   Wikipedia

  • Soul — For other uses, see Soul (disambiguation). A soul – in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions – is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object.[1] Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach… …   Wikipedia

  • Moral status of animals in the ancient world — The 21st century debates about animal welfare and animal rights can be traced back to the ancient world. The idea that the use of animals by humans for food, clothing, entertainment, and as research subjects is morally acceptable, springs mainly… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste des théories philosophiques — Les écoles de philosophie ont eu des théories philosophiques variées, elles sont listées ci dessous. Sommaire : Haut A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Absolutism  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pandeism — This article is about a synthesis of deism and pantheism. For other uses, see Pandeism (disambiguation). Part of a series on God …   Wikipedia

  • Glossary of philosophical isms — This is a list of topics relating to philosophy that end in ism . compactTOC NOTOC A * Absolutism – the position that in a particular domain of thought, all statements in that domain are either absolutely true or absolutely false: none is true… …   Wikipedia

  • Hindu philosophy — Part of a series on Hindu philosophy …   Wikipedia

  • Numen — For the academic journal, see Numen (journal). Numina redirects here. For the musician, see Jesse Sola. Not to be confused with Noumena. Ancient Roman religion …   Wikipedia

  • Materialism — Not to be confused with Materialistic. For the prioritization of resources, see economic materialism. For the Marxist analysis, see dialectical materialism. For consumerism, see consumerism. For materialist perspective on social development, see… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”