Sramanism
Encyclopedia
Sramanism is one of the three main families of ancient India
n philosophy. With its root in the Sanskrit
'Sramana' (literally- 'the one who strives'), its etymological origination also captures its core characteristic - the stress such systems place on 'practice' -usually involving hard-to-carry-out penitences. Restated, all philosophies under this family state that knowledge/happiness/freedom is possible through human efforts, not always of an 'intellectual' nature.
or devotional (which sought to achieve individual goals by pleasing/appealing to a super-Will or God.)
The most commonly recommended way to knowledge/happiness/freedom is the ancient Indian practice of meditation
or completely concentrating the mind on a particular question/subject or concept (in the case of the more mystically oriented 'schools'.) Some of the schools prescribe extremely punitive routines such as starvation, subjecting oneself to the elements, walking over fire etc. Most mainstream ones however are content with practices such as minimal intake of nourishment, sexual abstinence
, avoiding everything which is strictly not necessary for one's health - such as the use of cushions, chairs and clothes. Another common characteristic is the emphasis they place on the individual's capacity to find knowledge/happiness/freedom/salvation by him/herself without any external aid.
Most schools now remain only in ancient chronicles and accounts except Jainism
and Buddhism, both of which sprouted many versions of themselves in latter centuries. Besides these two, other sects include Ajivika (Ajivaka), Yogi (Samkhya) etc.. and others named after the teacher who first set the respective philosophy and rules.
('what you sow is what you reap') forms one of the fundamental pillars of the sramana code of ethics (with its exhortations to individual effort), early Sramanic schools don't strictly partake of the freewill-fatalistic dilemma of latter western philosophy. Towards the third to fifth centuries AD, the emphasis on the Individual led some of them like the Sautrantika Mahayana Buddhists to reach an idealistic theory of reality (where only the consciousness exists), like the European philosophers of the 17 and 18 centuries. Also logically following from this emphasis on individual experience and efforts is the absence of any super-Will controlling the universe (God) and the complete control an individual has over his destiny.
To re-capture the similarities, in Sramanistic philosophies:
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n philosophy. With its root in the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
'Sramana' (literally- 'the one who strives'), its etymological origination also captures its core characteristic - the stress such systems place on 'practice' -usually involving hard-to-carry-out penitences. Restated, all philosophies under this family state that knowledge/happiness/freedom is possible through human efforts, not always of an 'intellectual' nature.
Overview
Sramana is one of the three main families of Ancient Indian philosophy/belief systems - the other two being Brahmanism (which sought to achieve individual goals through manipulation of a smaller model of the Universe {microcosm}), and BhaktiBhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
or devotional (which sought to achieve individual goals by pleasing/appealing to a super-Will or God.)
The most commonly recommended way to knowledge/happiness/freedom is the ancient Indian practice of meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
or completely concentrating the mind on a particular question/subject or concept (in the case of the more mystically oriented 'schools'.) Some of the schools prescribe extremely punitive routines such as starvation, subjecting oneself to the elements, walking over fire etc. Most mainstream ones however are content with practices such as minimal intake of nourishment, sexual abstinence
Abstinence
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
, avoiding everything which is strictly not necessary for one's health - such as the use of cushions, chairs and clothes. Another common characteristic is the emphasis they place on the individual's capacity to find knowledge/happiness/freedom/salvation by him/herself without any external aid.
Most schools now remain only in ancient chronicles and accounts except Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and Buddhism, both of which sprouted many versions of themselves in latter centuries. Besides these two, other sects include Ajivika (Ajivaka), Yogi (Samkhya) etc.. and others named after the teacher who first set the respective philosophy and rules.
Karma
Though the idea of KarmaKarma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
('what you sow is what you reap') forms one of the fundamental pillars of the sramana code of ethics (with its exhortations to individual effort), early Sramanic schools don't strictly partake of the freewill-fatalistic dilemma of latter western philosophy. Towards the third to fifth centuries AD, the emphasis on the Individual led some of them like the Sautrantika Mahayana Buddhists to reach an idealistic theory of reality (where only the consciousness exists), like the European philosophers of the 17 and 18 centuries. Also logically following from this emphasis on individual experience and efforts is the absence of any super-Will controlling the universe (God) and the complete control an individual has over his destiny.
To re-capture the similarities, in Sramanistic philosophies:
- The goal of an individual's life (happiness/peace/freedom/salvation) is achieved through hard-to-practise routines/disciplines (even when it is made dependent on 'knowledge', the path to the latter is equally arduous)
- [Corollary] The achievement of the goal depends only on the individual's action (Karma), no external agents like God or Church, with powers to forgive individual misdeeds, are allowed or recognized.