Historical Dictionary of Jainism by Kristi L. Wiley

Author:Kristi L. Wiley
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780810865587
Publisher: Scarecrow Press

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MADHYA-LOKA. Middle realm. In Jain cosmography, the portion of the occupied universe (loka-ākāśa) located between the upper realm of the heavens (ūrdhva-loka) and the lower realm of the hells (adho-loka). It is the portion of the universe where animals (tiryañc) and humans reside. Vyantara devas also live in parts of the middle realm as do jyotiṣka devas, who occupy the sky, which is located above the earth and below the heavens. The madhya-loka contains a circular central island-continent called Jambūdvīpa, which is surrounded by an ocean. Beyond this, there are innumerable doughnut-shaped concentric island-continents, each surrounded by an ocean. Humans inhabit the innermost three island-continents: Jambūdvīpa, Dhātakīkhaṇḍa Dvīpa, and the inner half of Puṣkaravara Dvīpa, up to a mountain range called Mānuṣottara. Beyond this, only animals live on the other island-continents. The three island-continents inhabited by humans are subdivided into various lands or continents, which are separated by mountain ranges, containing a total of 35 continents. There is one set of seven continents located on Jambūdvīpa, two sets of seven continents (i.e., 14) on Dhātakīkhaṇḍa, and two sets of seven continents (i.e., 14) on Puṣkaravara. The names of each of the seven continents are identical in the five sets (Bharata-kṣetra, Haimavata, Hari, Mahāvideha, Ramyaka, Hairaṇyavata, and Airāvata-kṣetra), so there are five continents called Bharata-kṣetra, five called Airavata-kṣetra, and so forth.

MAHĀPADMA (PADMANĀBHA). The name of the first Tīrthaṅkara to be born in Bharata-kṣetra (the part of the universe where we are said to live) in the next progressive cycle of time (utsarpiṅī). See also ŚREṆIKA.

MAHĀPRAJÑA, ĀCĀRYA (MUNI NATHMAL) (1920–). The 10th and current mendicant leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthīs. Born in Tamkor, a village in Rajasthan, at the age of 11 he was initiated as Muni Nathmal. In 1979, at the age of 59, he was appointed as successor-designate (yuvācārya) by Ācārya Tulsī. He was appointed ācārya in 1994 when Ācārya Tulsī renounced his position. Throughout his career, he worked closely with Ācārya Tulsī and has been active in the Aṇuvrat movement and in the establishment of Jain Vishva Bharati. He is noted for his contribution in editing the Terāpanthī version of the Śvetāmbara canonical scriptures (Āgama), an ongoing project started in 1974. In 1975, he introduced a form of insight meditation called prekṣā-dhyāna and in 1980 the “Science of Living” (jīvan vijñān), a guide to nonviolent living geared toward schools and universities. He was recognized for his dedication to nonviolence (ahiṁsā) and communal harmony with the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 2002.

MAHĀPURĀṆA. A Digambara text in the genre of Jain Universal History. This work of some 20,000 verses was begun by Jinasena (ca. 770–850 C.E.) and completed by his disciple Guṇabhadra. It contains the stories of the past, present, and future lives of the 63 exemplary men (śalākā-puruṣas) in this current descending cycle of time (avasarpiṇī), including the 24 Tīrthaṅkaras. The first part of this text, the Ādipurāṇa, contains 47 chapters. Jinasena wrote the first 42 chapters, and Guṇabhadra wrote the final five chapters. It contains

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