The Human Person from Jaina and Buddhist Perspectives

Dr Vincent Sekhar’s essay compares how Jaina and Buddhist traditions conceive the human person. Drawing on the Śramaṇa heritage, he notes that both traditions emerged as ascetic alternatives to Vedic and Brahmanic ritualism. In Jainism the human being is one among six categories of living beings defined by the number of senses; yet human birth is considered rare and valuable because only humans can practice right perception, knowledge and conduct to attain liberation. Each soul (jīva) is an eternal substance endowed with consciousness and capable of omniscience once it sheds karmic matter. Moral discipline, asceticism and the cultivation of virtues such as non‑violence, truth and non‑possessiveness (the five great vows) guide the jīva on its journey to mokṣa. Buddhism, by contrast, denies a permanent soul and teaches the doctrine of anattā (no‑self); the person is a composite of impermanent aggregates and liberation (nirvāṇa) is achieved by eliminating desire and ignorance through the noble eight‑fold path. Despite this metaphysical divergence, both traditions emphasise compassion, non‑violence and the need to transcend attachment to achieve freedom. Sekhar discusses how Jaina cosmology locates human beings within a moral hierarchy of beings and how Buddhist thought situates the person within dependent origination and interdependence. He also highlights the practical similarities between Jain lay ethics and Buddhist middle‑way ethics: both encourage renunciation of excessive materialism, moderation in consumption, moral conduct and meditation. By comparing these perspectives, the article invites readers to appreciate the richness of Indian thought and to recognise that diverse paths can lead to ethical living and spiritual fulfilment.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.