“Comparison” in Jainism can be understood in two distinct ways. Keeping it simple:

1) As a mental habit (comparing ourselves with others)

• Jain dharma cautions that comparison easily triggers kashāyas (passions) like māna (pride), īrṣyā/asuya (jealousy), and lobha (greed). These feed rāga–dveṣa (attachment–aversion) and disturb samatā (equanimity).
• The antidote is cultivating equanimity and non‑attachment: practice Sāmāyika (48 minutes of equanimity), regular Pratikraman, aparigraha (limiting possessions), and the four bhāvanās toward beings—maitrī (friendliness), pramoda (joy in others’ merit), karuṇā (compassion), and mādhystha (equanimity).
• Essence: Do not measure the soul’s progress by another’s worldly gains. Focus on purifying your own bhāva (inner state); that alone reduces karmic bondage.

Helpful reads:

• Sāmāyika and equanimity:
• Passions (kashāyas):

2) As a means of knowing (comparison/analogy in philosophy)

• In Jain epistemology, valid knowledge (pramāṇa) is chiefly twofold: pratyakṣa (direct) and parokṣa (indirect). The five kinds of jñāna are: mati, śruta, avadhi, manahparyāya, and kevala.
• “Comparison/analogy” (upamāna) is not accepted as an independent pramāṇa in classical Jain thought. Knowledge gained through comparing one thing with another is treated under mati‑jñāna (and often as a form of inference), not as a separate source.
• Anekāntavāda–Syādvāda guide how to compare viewpoints rightly: consider multiple standpoints without absolutism, avoid one‑sided judgments, and speak conditionally (syāt—“in some respect”).

Helpful reads:

• Five kinds of jñāna and pramāṇa overview:
• Syādvāda (how to hold many-sided comparisons without dogmatism):

Traditions

• Both Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions agree on the five jñānas and on treating upamāna (comparison) within mati‑jñāna rather than as a separate pramāṇa. Minor terminologies may vary, but the core view is the same.

Takeaway

• Ethically: avoid comparing yourself with others; it fuels passions and binds karma. Cultivate samatā through daily Sāmāyika and Pratikraman.
• Philosophically: use comparison only as a supportive aid within proper Jain ways of knowing, guided by anekāntavāda and syādvāda.