The Jain Āgamas stand within a broad family of sacred literatures that different traditions recognize as preserving the words or teachings of a founding figure, much as the Vedas, the Buddhist Tripiṭaka, or the Bible and Qur’an function in their respective communities. Like these other corpora, they are treated as canonical authorities, transmitted initially through oral tradition and later systematized and codified, with attendant discussions about loss, variation, and authenticity. Their organization into distinct categories of teaching, and their role in shaping a shared religious identity, mirror the way other scriptural collections structure and sustain communities of practice and belief.

Structurally and stylistically, the Āgamas resemble many classical religious texts. They frequently employ a dialogical, question–answer format between teacher and disciple, a style familiar from the Upaniṣads, Buddhist suttas, and certain sections of other scriptural traditions. Within this framework, they integrate narrative, philosophy, ethics, and practical guidance, offering both doctrinal exposition and concrete instructions for spiritual advancement. This combination of mythic, ethical, and contemplative material is a common feature of major scriptural canons across traditions.

In terms of content, the Āgamas share with Buddhist and Hindu scriptures a strong emphasis on ethical discipline, especially non-violence (ahiṃsā), truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity, and non-attachment. They include detailed prescriptions for monastic life and codes of conduct, comparable to the Vinaya literature in Buddhism and to dharma-oriented texts in Hinduism. These ethical teachings are not merely social regulations but are framed as essential supports for the path from bondage in saṃsāra to spiritual liberation, a pattern that parallels the soteriological structures found in other Indian traditions.

Doctrinally, the Āgamas participate in a shared Indian discourse on karma, rebirth, and liberation. They describe a cyclical cosmos governed by karmic law, with multiple realms and vast cycles of time, themes that resonate with early Buddhist and Purāṇic Hindu cosmologies. Within this vision, they articulate a graded path of spiritual development, marked by vows, ascetic practices, and stages of inner purification, akin in structure to the Buddhist path to nirvāṇa and the Hindu pursuit of mokṣa. While Jain thought maintains its own distinctive interpretations, the overall pattern—a canonical corpus offering ethical norms, cosmological vision, and a mapped route to ultimate freedom—reveals deep family resemblances with other great scriptural traditions.