Souls who do not achieve liberation are either reborn as another life on earth or suffer punishment in one of the eight levels of hell.
Once a householder undertakes the path to liberation of the soul, according to the Jain Center of America, he must take and follow the five vows:
Ahimsa -- nonviolence
Satya -- truthfulness
Asteya -- not stealing
Brahmacarya -- celibacy or monogamy
Aparigraha -- detachment from material possessions 'All the venerable ones (arhats) of the past, present and future discourse, counsel, proclaim, propound and prescribe thus in unison: do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture or kill any creature or living being' (Uttaraadhyayan Sutra)
Hibbets explains that ahimsa (nonviolence) is the most fundamental value to the Jains. Because they believe that all living things (animals, plants, insects, microbes) have souls and are therefore sacred, Jains impose stringent restrictions on themselves to avoid harming these souls. Jains are strict vegetarians; in fact, some only eat fruit, nuts and milk because these are by-products of and not a living thing. They believe that digging up a carrot, for example, harms many living things. In addition to dietary restrictions, Jains take other precautions to avoid harming living things. They filter their water to avoid ingesting microorganisms that may be in the water; they wear masks to avoid inhaling (and thereby killing) a microorganism; and they walk with small brooms to sweep the path as they walk to avoid stepping on insects. Aiken adds that Jains allow themselves to be bitten by gnats and mosquitoes rather than risk harming them by swatting them away.
According to the Jain Center of America, it is...
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