Robyn Lebron His ways of meditation, days of austerities, and mode of behavior furnish an example for monks and nuns in religious life At the end, it is said; he realized perfect perception, knowledge, power, and bliss This r ealization i s known a s Ǧ H e spent the next 30 y ears traveling on bare feet around India preaching to the people the eternal truth he had realized He attracted people from all walks of life, rich and poor, kings and commoners, men and women, princes and priests, touchables and untouchables.2 Mahavira’s teachings were based on those of his predecessors Thus, unlike Buddha (who founded a new faith), Mahavira was more of a reformer and propagator of an existing religious order.3 He followed the well-established creed of his predecessor Tirthankara Parshva However, Mahavira did reorganize the philosophical tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times Lord Mahavira preached great vows while Lord Parshva preached only four great vows Some believe this pervasive influence of Jain culture and philosophy in ancient Bihar, India, may have given rise to Buddhism Buddha was born during the same period of history as Mahavira (563 bc) The Buddhists have always maintained that during the time of Buddha and Mahavira (who, according to the Pali Canon, were contemporaries), Jainism was already an ancient, deeply entrenched faith and culture there Over several thousand years, Jain influence on Hindu philosophy and religion has been considerable, while Hindu influence on Jain rituals may also be observed in certain Jain sects Certain Vedic Hindu holy books contain beautiful narrations about various figures who were adopted by Jains as Tirthankaras The Jains teach that at the age of seventy-two ( 527 bc), Lord Mahavira committed the act of ǡ which is fasting to death, and “his purified s oul l eft t he b ody and achieved complete l iberation H e became a , a pure consciousness, a liberated soul, living for ever in a state of complete bliss On the anniversary of the night of his salvation, people celebrate the Festival of Lights ( ) in his honor.”4 The Jain demand for minority status is almost a century old, starting when in British India, the Viceroy and Governor General of India, Lord Minto made a decision to give representation to important minorities