What Is the Holy Book of Jainism?

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The holy book of Jainism is a collection of texts known as Agam Literature or the Agam Sutras. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of Lord Mahavir’s sermons, as sacred documents.

Jainism is an Eastern religion with origins in the Indus river valley dating back to 3000 B.C. This religion’s holy text is referred to as Agam Literature or Sutras and is a collection of many different written works. These written works are a transcription of what had for many years been an entirely oral religious tradition; eventually, it became necessary to preserve Jain teachings in a written format due to an extended period of hardship that nearly wiped out all of the religion’s learned followers. The Agam Sutras are based on the preachings of Lord Mahavir, a Tirthankara, or deeply learned person, though not all of the lessons contained in the literature are directly from Mahavir himself.