Here are the core Jain principles in simple terms:

• Ahimsa (non-violence): Do not hurt any living being with thoughts, words, or deeds. This is the guiding ethic for all Jain practice.

• Satya (truth): Speak the truth without causing harm. Truth is kept with compassion and discernment.

• Achaur (asteya) – non-stealing: Do not take anything that is not willingly given. Respect others’ property and rights.

• Brahmacharya (celibacy/restraint): For monks and nuns, complete celibacy. For householders, faithful conduct and control over desires.

• Aparigraha (non-attachment): Limit possessions and desires. Simplicity reduces harm to others and supports inner peace.

These five are called the Mahavratas when observed by monks and nuns (great vows). Householders follow the smaller, practical versions called the Anuvratas, which adapt the same spirit to daily life.

Additional central ideas:

• Triratna (Three Jewels): Right Faith, Right Knowledge, Right Conduct. These three help a Jain progress toward liberation.

• Anekantavada (non-absolutism): Truth has many perspectives; seek understanding with openness and humility.

• Syadvada (sevenfold predication): A nuanced way of expressing what we know, acknowledging different viewpoints as possible.

• Bahub the Karma-Dravya idea: Actions (karma) bind the soul; ethical living purifies and helps release karma.

• Sallekhana (optional for ascetics): voluntary, gradual ending of life in a state of controlled ascetic discipline, understood in specific traditional contexts.

Notes on tradition differences (briefly):

• Digambaras and Śvetāmbaras both uphold ahimsa, truth, non-stealing, celibacy (for ascetics), and non-attachment, but they differ in some interpretations of scriptures, monastic practices, and how certain vows are observed in daily life. The overall aims—purification, right conduct, and liberation—are the same, while details may vary.

If you’d like, I can explain any one principle in more depth (for example, how ahimsa guides daily actions, or how anuvratas differ from mahavratas).