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Essay / Comparison of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism
Jainism, Buddhism and Hindu Although India is generally generalized into one large country, the actual demographics of the country are incredibly diverse. The country itself is home to 22 official languages and many thriving religious communities such as Hinduism, Jainism, Islam and many more. However, many religions practiced in India are related to each other on some level, usually originating from their Vedic roots. This is not always the case, with the example of Islam, which was introduced to India over time from the dispersion of populations from the Middle East. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay To begin with, when looking at India in a medieval context, before the migration of Islam to the sub -Indian continent, we can analyze the relationship between Hindus and Jains. Over time, teachers took Vedic practices and modified them to create new religious approaches to Hinduism, creating religions such as Jainism or Hinduism. (Davis, 13) Both religions were established in the Magadha region by members of the warrior class who gave up the search for enlightenment. (Davis, 14) To some extent, during this period, Jain scholars and monks provided some integration into Hindu society. There is evidence of competition between Jains and Brahmins, a recurring motif in many accounts of Western India, but despite this both groups coexisted peacefully and prospered. There are many discrepancies between the two, with Hindus not accepting the Jain text and vice versa. Buddhism and Jainism were formed primarily through the rejection of Hindu Vedic texts. One of the major divergences between the two is the belief in Vedic sacrifices, where Jains believe that it is Hindus who must resort to violence, which is not acceptable to follow the path to enlightenment. That being said, overall, Jains and Hindus have coexisted in India for about 2,500 years without much violence. This could also be because the Jain population pales in comparison to the Hindu population of the subcontinent, so their presence was noted, but it was never seen as a threat to Hinduism. When thinking about Jain-Hindu relations, it is important to note that Hindus have not always lived in religious harmony with other religious groups in the region. Hinduism is often considered a peaceful religion, but this has not always been the case throughout history. Before the partition of 1947, armies from the Middle East had invaded the Indian subcontinent with Islamic warrior elites establishing their authority in new areas of India where conflicts would inevitably erupt. (Davis, 33) Initially, relations between the two communities coexisted, with Muslim rulers developing a more lenient attitude towards Hindu subjects. Brahmins were essentially considered the equivalent of Christian monks, and Turkish and Mughal rulers even gave land endowments and granted tax exemptions to certain Hindu, Jain, and Zoroastrian religious foundations. (Davis, 33) However, after the British left India in 1947, the continent split into two nations: Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, in a violent partition that cost many lives to around a million people. These events after partition led to the formation of Hindu and Islamic activists in India today, this.