Answer

In Jain Dharma, Murti Pooja is accepted and practiced by many Jain traditions, especially among Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjak and Digambara Jains. However, some Jain traditions, such as Sthānakavāsī and Terāpanthī, do not practice Murti Pooja.

So, the answer is:

Yes, Jains may do Murti Pooja if it is part of their tradition and if it is done with right understanding, devotion, humility, and inner spiritual focus.

Explanation

In Jainism, a Tirthankar’s idol is not worshipped as a creator-God or as someone who grants worldly favors. The idol represents the perfected qualities of the Arihant and Siddha:

• Perfect knowledge
• Perfect perception
• Complete detachment
• Victory over passions
• Freedom from karma

When a Jain performs Murti Pooja, the purpose is to remember these qualities and awaken the same qualities within oneself.

The idol is a spiritual support, not an object of superstition.

Spiritual Understanding

Proper Murti Pooja should lead to:

• Reduction of ego
• Calmness of mind
• Reverence for the Jinas
• Inspiration to practice non-violence, truth, self-control, and detachment
• Awareness that liberation comes through one’s own right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct

If Murti Pooja becomes only a ritual for wealth, success, fear, show-off, or social status, then its true Jain meaning is lost.

Different Jain Views

Jain traditions differ respectfully on this matter:

• Mūrtipūjak Jains consider temple worship and idol worship a meaningful aid to devotion and spiritual reflection.
• Digambara Jains also have a strong tradition of Jina idol worship, with their own forms of worship and rituals.
• Sthānakavāsī and Terāpanthī Jains generally avoid idol worship and focus more on meditation, samayik, pratikraman, study, and internal worship.

Both approaches aim toward the same Jain goal: purification of the soul and liberation.

Takeaway

A Jain can do Murti Pooja if it helps develop devotion, humility, detachment, and remembrance of the Tirthankars’ qualities.

But the highest Jain worship is ultimately inner worship: reducing passions, practicing ahimsa, controlling desires, and moving toward liberation.