Jain and Buddhist Texts and Scholars

Jain and Buddhist literatures represent India’s earliest organized philosophical systems, emphasizing ethics, rational inquiry, and spiritual liberation. Their vast textual and scholarly traditions not only codified doctrine but also facilitated the social spread, moral reform, and intellectual refinement of Indian civilization from ancient to modern times.

Jain Texts and Scholars

Canonical Literature (Agamas)

• The Jain Agamas are the earliest compilations of Mahavira’s teachings, first preserved orally and later codified at the Council of Vallabhi (5th–6th century CE).
• Written mainly in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit, they democratized knowledge and allowed moral and philosophical ideas to reach followers.
• The Śvetāmbara canon comprises twelve Angas, such ....