Jain philosophy rests upon a vision of reality in which the soul is inherently pure, yet bound by karmic matter that obscures its innate knowledge and bliss. It distinguishes between **jīva** (living, conscious souls) and **ajīva** (non-living substances such as matter, space, motion, rest, and time), and understands suffering as arising from the soul’s bondage to karmic particles. These karmic particles are described as a subtle material substance that adheres to the soul through passions like anger, pride, deceit, and greed, as well as through violent or careless actions. Liberation is portrayed as a process of both stopping the influx of new karma (*saṃvara*) and shedding accumulated karma (*nirjarā*), culminating in the state of a liberated soul (*siddha*), dwelling in perfect knowledge and bliss.

Ethically, Jainism elevates **ahimsā**—non-violence in thought, word, and deed toward all living beings—as the supreme principle, grounding practices such as strict vegetarianism, careful speech, and vigilant conduct. This ethic is supported by other vows: truthfulness (*satya*), non-stealing (*asteya*), celibacy or sexual restraint (*brahmacharya*), and non-possessiveness (*aparigraha*). Householders undertake these in limited form as smaller vows (*aṇuvratas*), while monks and nuns embrace them as great vows (*mahāvratas*), with a rigor that shapes an intensely ascetic way of life. Through fasting, meditation, renunciation, and constant watchfulness over mind, speech, and body, ascetic discipline becomes a means of self-purification and karmic exhaustion.

The path to liberation is articulated as the **Three Jewels (Ratnatraya)**: Right Faith or Right Perception (*samyak darśana*), Right Knowledge (*samyak jñāna*), and Right Conduct (*samyak cāritra*). Right Faith involves a trusting and intuitive grasp of the true nature of reality; Right Knowledge is a correct, undistorted understanding of soul, karma, and liberation; and Right Conduct is the ethical embodiment of this insight in daily life. These three are not merely sequential steps but mutually reinforcing dimensions of spiritual maturation, guiding the aspirant from delusion toward omniscience (*kevalajñāna*) and final release.

Philosophically, Jainism emphasizes the many-sidedness of truth through **anekāntavāda**, the doctrine that reality is complex and no single statement can fully capture it. This is refined through **syādvāda**, which teaches that any assertion is true only “in a certain respect,” and **nayavāda**, which recognizes that different standpoints reveal partial aspects of reality. Such principles foster intellectual humility, tolerance of differing viewpoints, and a nuanced approach to knowledge, aligning metaphysical insight with ethical restraint. Within a cosmos understood as governed by cyclical time, enlightened teachers known as **tīrthaṅkaras** periodically rediscover and proclaim this eternal Dharma, offering a “ford” across the river of saṃsāra for those who seek liberation through non-violence, self-discipline, and sustained inner clarity.