what are Agamas

Agamas are the Jain canonical scriptures. They contain the teachings of Lord Mahavira and the guidance for right conduct, philosophy, ethics, cosmology, and the path to liberation.

Key points:

• They are the primary religious texts in Jainism and are considered the authoritative source of doctrine and practice.
• There are different traditions about which texts are included and how they were preserved:

- Digambaras (one major sect) traditionally refer to a defined set called Angas and related texts. They emphasize that the original teachings were preserved in certain form and some portions are considered authoritative in their lineage. - Śvetāmbaras (another major sect) have a larger corpus often referred to as the 45 Agamas, with many sutras including well-known ones that cover ethics, monastic rules, and Jain cosmology.

• The Agamas cover topics such as:

- Right conduct (aham sadhārma and samyak jijñā as a practical path) - Moral vows and disciplines for laypersons and monks - Philosophical ideas about karma, liberation, and the nature of reality - Biographies and legends related to tirthankaras and key Jain teachers

If you’d like, I can share a simple, authentic outline of the main topics in the Agamas or explain how the Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions differ in their Agama collections.