Here is a concise, Jain-centered overview.

What Jain beliefs share

• Ahimsa (non-violence) is the core principle guiding thoughts, speech, and actions toward all living beings.
• Anekantavada (many-sidedness) teaches that truth and reality have many aspects; full understanding comes from seeing multiple viewpoints.
• Aparigraha (non-attachment) means living simply and limiting possessions, desires, and dependence on others.
• Anekantavada is complemented by Syadvada (conditional/possibility logic) and Nayavada (perspective-based framing of truth).
• Jainism emphasizes karma as a natural, moral law that binds the soul; liberation (moksha) is the shedding of karma and the soul’s pure, infinite nature.

Key aims

• Purification of the soul (end of samsara) through right conduct, knowledge, and faith.
• Self-discipline and self-effort lead to kevala jnana (omniscient knowledge) and ultimate moksha.

Jain scriptures and sources

• Jain literature is vast and splits in part between Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions.
• Śvetāmbara canon includes many Agamas (discourses of the Tirthankaras) that form the basis of practice and philosophy for that tradition.
• Digambara tradition emphasizes certain canonical texts that reflect their monastic practices and interpretations.
• A foundational Jain text often studied across traditions is the Tattvartha Sutra (often treated as a universal summary of Jain philosophy), authored by Umaswati. It systematically presents the nature of the soul, karma, ethics, and liberation.
• Other major themes in scriptures include the cosmology, totemic reverence for the Tirthankaras, and guidelines for ethical living and ascetic practice.

Core Jain philosophy (brief)

• Dravya, Guṇa, and Paryaya: a framework to describe substances, their attributes, and how they come to be known.
• Jiva (soul) and Ajiva (non-soul substances like matter, space, time, etc.). Only the soul undergoes bondage and liberation; matter and other ajiva influence bondage through karma.
• Karma is a subtle physical/social law that adheres to the soul based on conduct; it shapes future experiences and rebirth.
• The goal is to minimize karmic influx and maximize shedding of karma, leading to liberation and eternal bliss.

Practices for lay followers (śrāvakas and śrāvikās)

• Non-violence in daily life: careful food choices, respectful treatment of all beings, and avoidance of harm.
• Truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), celibacy or faithful conduct (brahmacharya for householders in appropriate form), and non-attachment (aparigraha) as the Five Great Vows (for laypeople, these are adapted to household life).
• Samayika: a daily 48-minute meditation on the Jain view of the self and the universe, focusing on equanimity and introspection.
• Pratikramana: a periodic act of self-examination, confession, and repentance for missed duties or unintentional harm.
• Fasting and reduced meals on auspicious days or yogic/spiritual practices, especially during Paryushan and Mahavir Jayanti seasons.
• Puja and veneration of Tirthankaras and spiritual teachers, often as reverence for dharma rather than worship of a personal deity.
• Sallekhana (voluntary, peaceful ending of life when one’s duties are complete and the goal is purer remaining karma) is a controversial and highly regulated practice within certain Jain traditions; it is not universally undertaken.

Rituals and festivals (highlights)

• Paryushan and Das Lakshana (a period of introspection, fasting, and purification, especially observed by Śvetāmbara communities).
• Mahavir Jayanti: celebration of Lord Mahavir’s birth and teachings.
• Austerities and fasts observed on major holy days, with regional variations.

Monastic vs. lay path

• Monastic order (muni/aryā) follows strict vows, including complete non-violence, celibacy, and renunciation of possessions; they guide the community and preserve scriptures.
• Lay followers lead household lives, embrace the Five Great Vows in a practical form, and support monastic communities through offerings and moral example.

Differences between Digambara and Śvetāmbara (very brief)

• Digambaras generally emphasize renunciation more strictly, with monks often wearing no clothes as a symbol of complete detachment; Śvetāmbaras typically wear white clothes.
• There are differences in certain canonical texts, temple practices, and interpretations of some doctrines, but both share the core vows of non-violence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-attachment, and both revere the Tirthankaras and emphasize liberation through karmic purification.

If you’d like, I can provide:

• A simple, authentic Jain sutra or prayer text (and explain its meaning in Jain terms).
• A short glossary of common Jain terms (jiva, ajiva, karma, moksha, Tirthankara, sallekhana, ahimsa, aneakantavada, etc.).
• How to practice a basic daily Jain routine (samayika, pratikramana, and a simple ahimsa-focused diet).

Note: If you want exact passages or a specific text from a particular Jain tradition (Digambara or Śvetāmbara), tell me which you prefer and I’ll present the text and its Jain-based meaning accordingly.