What is the purpose of Janisim?

Jainism teaches that the true purpose of life is to attain liberation (moksha) of the soul from the cycle of birth and death (samsara). This happens by shedding accumulated karmas and perfecting the right way of living.

Core ideas:

• Samyak darshan, samyak gyan, samyak charitra: right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. These three form the foundation for freeing the soul from bondage.
• Ahimsa (non-violence) is the core ethical principle, guiding actions, speech, and thought.
• Karma is a natural law; every action adds or reduces karmic bondage. The goal is to purify the mind and stop new karmas from attaching.
• The path for laypeople includes five vows (non-violence, truth, non-stealing, celibacy in conduct appropriate to one’s state, and non-possessiveness). Monks and nuns follow more austere vows and practices.

Key aims along the way:

• Purify the mind and remove passions (kaam, krodh, lobh, moha, mada, matsarya).
• Develop compassion for all beings and practice truth, self-control, and austerity as needed.
• Use right knowledge to understand the nature of the self (jiva) and the non-self (ajiva) and how karmas bind the soul.

Differences you might hear:

• Digambar and Shwetambar traditions share the same core goal (moksha) but differ on certain texts, practices, and some doctrinal details. For example, they differ in some interpretations about the path to liberation for women and certain monastic rules; the essential aim of liberating the soul remains the same in both.

In short: Jainism guides you to cleanse the soul of karmic bondage through right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct, with non-violence and self-discipline as central features, so that the soul can achieve eternal freedom.