Here is the Jain view on universe creation and destruction in simple terms:

• The universe is eternal and without a beginning or end. It is not created by a god or any external power. In Jain thought, jiva (souls) and ajiva (matter) are co-eternal components of the cosmos, and the world (loka) operates according to natural law.

• The cosmos undergoes cycles of growth and dissolution, but this is not a creation/destruction by a creator. Instead, the cycle is an ongoing, self-contained process governed by the interactions of jiva and ajiva over vast cosmic time.

• Dissolution (pralaya) occurs when the universe contracts and all forms of matter and living beings are drawn into a state of latent potential or dormant form. This is a periodic, natural dissolution of visible beings and phenomena, after which the universe again unfolds into a new phase with beings and matter taking visible forms.

• The moral and spiritual law within this system is that bondage or release of beings is not dictated by a creator’s will but by the karma carried by jivas and their states of perception, conduct, and liberation. When beings purify their minds and live according to right conduct (satya, ahimsa, brahmacharya, etc.), they can move toward liberation even within the cyclical nature of the cosmos.

• There are differences in emphasis between Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions on cosmology and the precise descriptions of the cycles, but both traditions share the core idea that the universe is eternal and not created or destroyed by a personal deity.

If you’d like a deeper dive, I can summarize key points from canonical Jain sources and point out where Digambara and Śvetāmbara interpretations differ.