Mahavir

Mahavir (c. 599 BC - d. 527 BC), original name Verdhaman Mahavir, was the 24th Tirthankar (path-finder) of the Jains. Against his traditional date of birth and death, historians suggest his date of birth in 540 BC and death in 468 BC, thus both his dates of birth and death are controversial. He was the son of a Vaishali noble belonging to the princely family, renounced the world at the age of 30, joined the order of Parsvanath the 23rd Tirthankar, and attained supreme knowledge. After renouncing the world he spent twelve years in austerity and meditation. He received enlightenment at the age of 42 and thereafter came to be known as Jain the Conquerer. He died at the age of 72 at Pawa, now in modern Bihar, a state in India. Jainism derived its name from his second name Jain.

Wisdom & Quotes

• A Wise man should be neither glad nor angry, for he should know and consider the happiness of all things... Life is Dear to the Many who own fields and houses, who get Dyed and coloured Clothes And jewels And earrings, And grow up attached to them ... Only those who are of controlled conduct do not desire these things ; therefore , Knowing birth and death , you should Firmly Walk The path .

For nothing is inaccessible to death, and all beings are fall of themselves, they love pleasure and hate pain, they shun destruction and cling to life. They long to live. To all things life is dear.
-Acharanga Sutra

• As the dead leaf When it's time is up

Falls from The tree to the ground,
So is the life of man.
Gautama, always be Watchful!
As the dew drop that sways on a blade of grass
Lasts but a moment,
So is the life of man.
Gautama, always be watchful!
For The soul which suffers for its carelessness
Is Whirled About In the Universe,
Through good and evil karma.
Gautama, always be watchful!
When the body grows old and the hair turns white,
And all the vital powers decrease...
Despondency and disease befall, and the flesh wastes and decay.
Gautama, always be watchful!
So cast away all the attachments,
And be pure as a Lotus or as water in autumn,
Free from all attachment.
Gautama, always be watchful!
-Uttaradhyayana Sutra

• Body , House , Wealth and Wife,

Sons and friends and enimies -
All are Different from the soul.
Only the fool thinks them his own.
........................
From all directions come the birds
And rest together in the trees;
Butin the morning each goes his own way,
Flying in all directions.
................................
Death Is Not For me. Why then Should I fear?
Disease is not for me. Why then should I despair?
I am not a child, nor a youth, nor an old man;
All these states are only of my body.
.......................................
Time and again in my foolishness I have enjoyed
All kinds of body and have discarded them,
Now I am wise!
Why should I long for rubbish?
.......................................
The soul is one thing, Matter another -
That is the quintessence of truth.
Whatever else may be said
Is merely it's elaboration.
- Istopadesa

• Live and let live. Love all. Serve all. Hate none. Non-violence (Ahinsa) is the highest religion.
• All souls are alike. None is superior, none is inferior.
• Live and let live; hurt no one; life is dear to all living beings.
• Do not deprive someone of his livelihood. This is a sinful tendency.
• Kill not, cause no pain. Nonviolence is the greatest religion.
• Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.
• Respect for all living beings is non‑violence.
• Silence and self-control is non-violence.
• Killing a living being is killing one's own self; showing compassion to others is showing compassion to oneself.
• Non-violence is the highest ethical code.
• The essence of all knowledge consists in not committing violence."
• In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.
• Anger begets more anger, and forgiveness and love lead to more forgiveness and love.
• The soul comes alone and goes alone, no one accompanies it and no one becomes its mate.
• Attachment and aversion are the root cause of karma, and karma originates from infatuation. Karma is the root cause of birth and death, and these are said to be the source of misery. None can escape the effect of their own past karma.
• Every soul is independent.
• A living body is not merely an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the abode of the soul, which potentially has unending perception (Anant-Darshana), unending knowledge (Anant-Jnana), unending power (Anant-Virya), and unending bliss (Anant-Sukha)."
• All human beings are miserable due to their own faults, and they themselves can be happy by correcting these faults.
• There is no enemy out of your soul. The real enemies live inside yourself, they are anger, pride, greed, attachments, and hate.
• It is better to win over self than to win over a million enemies.
• Truthfulness, chastity, simplicity, and equanimity are the four pillars of a pious life.
• By sincerity, a man gains physical, mental and linguistic straightforwardness, and harmonious tendency; that is, congruence of speech and action.
• If you want to cultivate a habit, do it without any reservation, till it is firmly established. Until it is so confirmed, until it becomes a part of your character, let there be no exception, no relaxation of effort.
• The nature of things is dharma.
• Eating constitutes the greatest obstacle to self-control; it gives rise to indolence.
• Modes are infinite, and laws are infinite.
• One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water and vegetation disregards his own existence which is entwined with them.
• Don't accumulate if you do not need. The excess of wealth in your hands is for the society, and you are the trustee for the same.

Jaina Canon