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Jainism: The Dualistic Nature Of The World

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In general, Asceticism describes an abstinent life from worldly pleasures. Jainism is an ascetic religion with its origins in the prehistory of India. It is still practiced today by several million people. The goal of Jainism is to liberate the soul from matter. The philosophical basic views the flesh as being evil, because it traps the spirit. If the flesh is evil, then the ascetic answer is to release the soul by tormenting the flesh in some matter. Other religions have other solutions to the problem of human kinds plight, while Jainism is consistent and single minded. Its answer to the dualistic nature of the world is severe asceticism. Many of Jainism 's ascetic practices can be traced back to Vardhaman Mahavira. The Acaranga Sutra, or "Book of Good Conduct," is a sacred book within Jainism that discusses the ascetic code of conduct. …show more content…

Every day is spent either in study of scriptures, meditation, or teaching. Another positive aspect of this life style is the practice of complete non-violence. They do not hunt or hurt any living animal being, thus leading to a clear conscience. A negative about this life style includes fasting. The fasts can last for a day or even as long as a month. A risk of being ascetic is that the monks avoid or limit medicine and hospitalization out of disregard for the physical body. This extreme measure can lead to extreme illness, injury, or even

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