Spirituality and Belief in God

By Parveen Jain

Conversation about the relationship between God and spirituality seems to be on the rise,[i] driven mostly by the popularity of spiritual practices such as yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. The relationship between God and spirituality is at the foundation of the Jain tradition, an ancient doctrine focused on the purpose of life and human conditioning. This article sheds some light on the subject of the relationship between God and spirituality from the Jain perspective.

Generally speaking, belief in God implies being religious within faith-based practices such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Although the exact definition of God may vary from faith to faith, God is generally considered to be the supreme and all-knowing authority, almighty with supernatural powers, the creator and destroyer of the universe, the ultimate and judicious decision maker of the pertinence of one’s actions, and so on. Followers of religious faiths often look to their chosen God for blessings, rewards, punishment, motivation, and succor.

With such a belief in God, a religious follower may easily become dependent on an unseen entity. Such a follower may start begging this unseen entity for the fulfillment of every desire and wish, and make it (God) responsible for the person’s own shortcomings or undesirable actions. For instance, to motivate members of a parish to be compassionate and loving toward others, it is not uncommon for a pastor to make statements such as, “God will be pleased if you show compassion toward your fellow human beings,” or to inspire obedience with expressions such as  “God-fearing.” One could interpret such expressions as indirect holy commands, ensuring that the faithful remain in good terms with God and receive God’s blessings and favors. And often they serve the purpose, inspiring compassionate actions and resulting in beneficial outcomes. Over time, for true believers that live an increasingly righteous life, what was initially inspired by fear can turn into good behavior in its own right.

Spirituality is generally defined as involving the pursuit of union with the self, with the human spirit or soul. It is a journey of internalization and self-discernment rather than of external, materialistic quests. Spirituality often comprises practices such as meditation and contemplation, often in solitude, and does not usually involve ritualistic practices (which might rather be considered the purview of religious institutions). Spiritual activities can be structured and disciplined but are generally self-defined and flexible, without the rigid rules followed in many religious practices. Spirituality and belief in God are not mutually exclusive, but they are not necessarily interdependent either. They can be separate paths. And while spirituality involves personal experience and self-revelation, for the most part, it does not necessarily disregard faith-based belief in God.

In Jain tradition, there is no entity that is the creator or destroyer of the universe because the universe has always existed, and it will always exist—there is neither a beginning nor an end of it in time or space. The universe is eternal and boundless. There is no external authoritative figure that is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, that runs our lives, grants our wishes, punishes us, and rules the world. In other words, Jains do not believe in God, the central figure of most religious beliefs.

Jain thought on spirituality begins with the premise of separation between the soul and the body, wherein the soul is the real living being, and the body is the domicile in which the soul reincarnates in a given life. Like the universe, the soul is eternal, and, more importantly, it is an independent entity. It retains independent existence forever—even after its ultimate liberation. Furthermore, every soul originated in a perfect state in eternity and is endowed with the innate characteristics of consciousness (ćetnā), bliss (sùkhà), and vigor (vīryà).[ii] From time unknown, an individual soul has been cycling through life and death, inhibiting its auspicious characteristics due to its deeds in thought (mind), speech, and physical actions while in bodily form. For Jains, spirituality is the practice of reconnecting with one’s innate soul by making progress toward the original state of perfection.

In Jain tradition, the beings that come closest to the degree of reverence generally associated with God are the twenty-four tīrthaṅkaras[iii]—the liberated souls that are considered great teachers who have attained spiritual perfection through flawless clairvoyant, unbounded, unabridged wisdom and pure conduct. They do not interfere in worldly affairs, and do not punish or reward anybody. Lord Mahāvīra, who lived in the sixth century BCE (599–527), is the last tīrthaṅkara.

Tīrthaṅkaras are not Godlike in the traditional monotheistic sense, but their qualities, attributes, and teachings are all sources of learning that are treated as divine by Jains. Thus, for Jains, we can correctly say that the tīrthaṅkaras are divine beings. But unlike most in monotheistic understandings of “God,” Lord Mahāvīra teaches that all human beings are capable of achieving the same divine characteristics and attaining ultimate liberation in the same way he did.[iv] For Jains, then, the objective of spiritual perseverance is to work toward that ultimate reward of liberation.

Jains believe that living beings are solely responsible for their actions and the subsequent repercussions of those actions, and that they themselves define their destiny while interacting with other living and non-living entities. Jain practitioners do not depend on God to extend their grace and bring them to emancipation. Whereas many God-centered religions rely on at least some element of divine grace, for Jains spiritual advancement is entirely up to the individual seeker.

Thus, for Jains, spiritual perseverance is of paramount importance. It starts with first recognizing that “real me” is my soul, and that my body is a temporary refuge that I have taken for this life. A firm belief in this principle, called “right perception” or samyag darshan, results in the conviction that one is pure by nature but has been collecting impurities because of one’s actions in mind-body-speech throughout eternity. After reaching that conviction, the practitioner’s focus shifts to efforts to remove the collected impurities, and thus begins the spiritual journey.

Meditation is an essential component of spiritual practice. It is a contemplative exercise (dhyāna)[v] that has been practiced by Jain and other spiritual seekers for millennia. It is a way to unite with one’s true self—the soul— and ultimately dissolve the false notion of selfhood created by material karma. When one starts experiencing this union within, one feels integrated with the universe and all of its constituents, including nature (ecology and environment).

Meditation is necessary for spiritual progress, but it is not sufficient by itself and should not be taken as an all-inclusive spiritual practice. It must be accompanied by a righteous lifestyle. For a wholesome spiritual experience, one’s mind, senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing), and body must be under control and in peaceful harmony. We all know that the mind is always wandering, propelled mostly by the senses and compounded by its own trepidations. To bring the mind and senses under control, one needs to begin creating a righteous lifestyle guided by nonviolence, self-control, modesty, and austerity.[vi] A lifestyle driven by these traits is filled with compassion, love, and equanimity towards all living beings including humans, as well as love and compassion toward the environment. Over time, the process of spiritual practice becomes a self-propelling phenomenon—spirituality improves one’s righteous traits, which in turn enhance one’s spiritual experiences, resulting in a further intensification of righteous traits; and these cycles continue until one is eventually liberated from the suffering of material existence.

A practitioner fully immersed in self-realization and engaged in spiritually enriching experiences develops self-reliance, fearlessness, and an anxiety-free mentality. Such practitioners tend to feel more empowered to control their destiny. For such spiritual practitioners, feelings of compassion and love emerge from within because these are the innate qualities of the soul with which they are trying to unite after many previous births of material alienation.

We can see that many of the intended purposes of spiritual perseverance are similar to that of worshipping God, although the sources of motivation and means for realization can be different in the two approaches. Both practices are meant to mold one’s lifestyle toward righteousness, the main objective of such practices. Here it is important to note that while Jain scholars emphasize the doctrine of spirituality, they do not negate religious doctrines promoting faith in God. This is the elegance of the principle of non-absolutism or non-singular conclusivity (Anekāntavāda)[vii] that honors multiplicity of views, another great doctrine granted to humanity by Lord Mahāvīra.

At the end, irrespective of the chosen path of self-advancement, both “God-fearing” religious persons and nontheistic spiritual practitioners are striving for the same end goal of inner peace and righteous living—and freedom from the suffering inherent in the material world. A society of individuals with such qualities is one we should all strive for, whether our path is spiritual, religious, God-centered, or impelled by self-practice. While methods may differ, and those differences are important, what unites these approaches is much greater, and no single approach need be considered wrong for another spiritual path to be right. That is the philosophy of the Jain tradition.

Article edited by Cogen Bohanec.

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[i]   Robin Young and Karyn Miller-Medzon, “Can Spirituality Exist Without God? A Growing Number of Americans Say Yes,” January 13, 2020, WBUR.org.

[ii] Parveen Jain, chap. 4 in An Introduction to Jain Philosophy (New Delhi: DKPrintworld, 2019).

[iii] Tīrthaṅkaras are the preceptors, “ford-makers,” and spiritual teachers of the righteous path, who have absolutely and completely conquered all personal deficiencies such as attachment, hatred, anger, ego, deceit, and greed, and have attained omniscience.

[iv] An interesting comparison would be to the Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedānta, in which one can attain the same level of ultimate status as the divine God, understood as more of an undifferentiated, nondual force than a personal entity. However, where liberation for Advaita Vedānta implies a disappearance of individuality, for Jains one attains the status of a divine being (tīrthaṅkara) while maintaining a sense of individuality.

[v] Parveen Jain, chap. 9, An Introduction to Jain Philosophy

[vi] Ibid., chap. 12.

[vii] Anekāntavāda, meaning “non-absolutism,” is a unique doctrine and one of the basic principles of Jain philosophy. It encourages acceptance of relativism and pluralism. According to this doctrine, truth and reality are perceived differently from different points of view, and no single point of view is the absolute and complete truth.