Answer

In Jainism, there is no concept exactly equivalent to the Hindu idea of Brahman as one supreme, all-pervading, absolute reality from which everything arises.

Jain Dharma teaches that reality is made of eternal substances, especially:

• Jīva — soul or conscious substance
• Ajīva — non-living substances such as matter, space, motion, rest, and time

Each soul is eternal and individual. It does not merge into one universal Brahman.

Explanation

In many Hindu philosophical traditions, especially Advaita Vedānta, Brahman is understood as the ultimate, indivisible reality. The individual self is ultimately identified with Brahman.

Jainism differs in important ways:

• Souls are many, not one. Jainism accepts countless individual souls.
• Each soul is eternal. A soul is not created by God or Brahman.
• Liberation does not mean merging. A liberated soul remains a distinct, perfected soul.
• There is no creator God. Jainism does not teach that the universe comes from one supreme being or absolute substance.

The closest Jain idea to “ultimate spiritual reality” is the pure nature of the soul: infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite bliss, and infinite energy when freed from karma.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jain Dharma, the highest truth is not union with a universal absolute, but the realization of one’s own pure soul.

A liberated soul, called a Siddha, is completely free from karma and exists forever in perfect knowledge, peace, and bliss.

So Jainism emphasizes:

• purification of the individual soul,
• freedom from karmic bondage,
• self-realization,
• and liberation through right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

Takeaway

Jainism does not have a Brahman-like universal absolute. Instead, it teaches that there are countless eternal souls, and each soul can attain its own perfect, liberated state without merging into any higher universal being.