History Chapter 6 - Study Guide (Answer Key)

What is ahimsa and what role does it play in Jainism?

Ahimsa means the avoidance of violence towards other life forms and an active sense of compassion toward them. This is a central principle in Jainism, as a core value of theirs is to not harm other living things.

Who are the Tirthankaras?

The Tirthankaras are spiritual conquerors of the past, and people who have attained salvation. Tirthankaras are also the “marks of the river crossing.” They are significant because they symbolize the means of traveling through samsara to the salvation ahead.

What is asceticism? What role did it play in Mahavira’s life?

Mahavira left his family at the age of 30, to find his spiritual awakening. Mahavira fasted often and never ate anything that was expressly prepared for him. Mahavira partook in extreme asceticism (severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons), which led to his being enlightened. After fasting without food or water for 2.5 days, Mahavira sat underneath a tree, but not in the shade. At this moment, Mahavira reached enlightenment or kevala. Kevala marks the point at which one is free from the effects of karma and has gained release into samsara.

Within Jainism— which life forms have a soul? Which of those life forms can achieve liberation? Humans? Deities? Demons? Animals?

All life forms are inhabited by a soul and are to be regarded as fellow creatures worthy of respect and care. However, for a soul to obtain spiritual perfection, the soul must be reborn into a human body. One can move both up and down in life, and one could go beyond being a deity, but one could also work their way out of Hell.

Who was Mahavira? Be sure you know his life story and how it compares to other religious figures.

Mahavira, the great hero, lived from 599 to 527 BC. Both Gautama (Buddhism) and Mahavira were born into the Kshatriya or warrior caste. Similar to Buddhism, Jains did not completely reject the caste system, but rather created their own, allowing for people to have a new caste based on their religion. Unlike Buddhism, Mahavira left on his own accord to seek religious salvation. Another difference is that Gautama rejected asceticism, as he preferred the Middle Way, but Mahavira preferred the extreme form. Next, Mahavira discovered enlightenment by following Jainism beliefs put in place before him, but Gautama discovered his own teachings and ways of seeking enlightenment. Gautama and Mahavira were both leaders in their religion, just in different ways.

What happened at the end of Mahavira’s life? How does this align with their beliefs?

At the end of Mahavira’s life, he continued to preach his beliefs, especially to Hindu brahmins who became Jain. These disciples formed the religion Jainism is today. At the age of 72, Mahavira had his final ascetic act, by starving himself to death. This then showed to Jains that his soul was pure and was finally freed.

How do Jains define karma? How is this similar or different to the view of karma within Hinduism and Buddhism?

Karma is crucial to the destiny of the soul in Jainism, just as it is within Hinduism and Buddhism. However, in Jainism, it is materialistic meaning whenever the soul acts, it is tarnished by matter of some kind. Bad actions like hurting a life form cause the soul to be dirty and have thick, heavy matter, however, pure acts result in the soul being purified and have less bad karma. This then means when the soul is completely pure, the person has reached kevala, meaning now they have reached spiritual fulfillment.

What is kevala and how do Jains achieve kevala?

Kevala is the perfect and complete knowledge in Jain enlightenment that marks when the soul is free from the damaging effects of karma, making the soul liberated from samsara. Jains reach kevala by having a perfect and complete soul, that has no damaging effects of karma due to their good acts. Jains can have reached kevala and remain alive, whereas in some religions one has to be dead to reach spiritual fulfillment.

How are kevala and liberation different? How are they related?

Kevala and liberation are different because one can have reached kevala and continue to live and teach others the Jain ways. However, liberation can only occur when one is dead because it demonstrates the soul being free from samsara.

How do Jains view time? How do these cycles of time impact Jain’s ability to reach liberation?

Jains view time as cyclical. For Jains, time is beginningless and eternal. There are twelve cycles in Jain time. When the time is closer to the top, the people can then reach liberation. However, if the time is not perfect, one cannot reach liberation because the world is in a poor state.

Which two religions influenced Sikhism’s founder?

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in the Punjab region of north India, Guru Nanak was also a Hindu. He developed a new religion and included in it what he thought were the good beliefs of the two dominant religions in the Punjab region, Hinduism and Islam.

What is the Sikh view of God?

Sikhs believe all religions follow one God, who ultimately created everything. They view him as similar to the three main deities of Hinduism, creation, preservation, and destruction.

What are the names of the Sikh holy text? What makes it unique to other holy texts?

The names of the Sikh holy text are the Adi Granth and Guru Granth Sahib and it is unique compared to other holy texts because it serves as the leader of their religion, or Guru.

What is Haumai? How does it impact a person’s relationship with God?

Haumia is difficult to translate, but it can mean pride, self-centeredness, or egoism. Humans strive too much to make do on their own, rather than relying on God to help with their problems, because of Haumai. Haumai is accompanied by five vices: lust, greed, anger, attachment, and pride. The effect of haumai and the five vices is to increase the distance between a person and God, causing the person to worsen their relationship with God because of ignorance. Humans then don’t try to get closer to God because of ignorance, which causes them to want to see attractions rather than follow God. As long as haumai, ignorance, and the five vices exist, humans remain in samsara.

What do Sikhs believe is the ultimate purpose of life?

List the three ways the capitalized term Guru is used in Sikhism. How is this different from the lowercase term Guru?

The three ways that the capitalized term Guru is used are: The title of Guru Nanak and each of his successors, the ten historical leaders of Sikhism, the second is the sacred text, the Adi Granth, which is also referred to as Shri Guru Granth Sahib, lastly is the name of God, often in the form of The True Guru. In each case, the Guru functions as the realver of the truth. The other term, lowercase, means a teacher of any sort.

No matter which version of Guru is being used- what function do they serve for Sikhs?

No matter which version of Guru is being used, they all serve as a religious guide or teacher.

Who created the Khalsa and why?

The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, created a new Sikh order, the Khalsa. The members were instructed to uphold the highest codes of conduct and morality. This was created because Guru Gobind Singh’s father was murdered and all the other Sikhs ran away, so he asked five men to sacrifice themselves to prove they were loyal to the religion. This was so that there was more unity within Sikhism and a community where everyone had each other’s back was created.

What role does the Khalsa play?

The khalsa has people being initiated from around 14 years of age and around 70% of Sikhs are in the Khalsa. This helps to strengthen their social identity. There is an invitation process in which nectar is drunk and sprinkled on the eyes of the initiates. This influences their society and the celebration ends with the sharing of a special cake.

What are the 5 K’s which set the Khalsa apart?

The five K’s which set the Khalsa apart are uncut hair, a comb, an iron wrist guard, a sword or knife, and a pair of shorts or underwear.