"Know other creatures' love for life, for they are like you.

Kill them not; save their life from fear and enmity.

All creatures desire to live, not to die.

Hence to kill is to sin.

A godly mand does not kill.

Therefore, kill not yourself, consciously or unconsciously,

living organisms which move or move not, nor cause slaughter of them.

He who looketh on the creatures of the earth, big and small, as his own self, comprehendeth this immense world.

Among the careless, he who restraineth self is enlightened."

Lord Mahavira

Founding Where: India When: 500's B.C.E. (ancient Jainism far older though) By Whom: Lord Mahavira Important Texts: Tattvartha Sutra

Modern Facts Major Divisions: Svetambara, Sthanakavasis, Digambaras. Where Found: Primarily in India. Population: 4 million; 750,000; 155,000, respectively.