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Sthānakavāsī is a sect of Śvētāmbara Jainism.The Sthanakvasi sect is different from the Murtipujaka sect in that it does not believe in idol worship. It believes that idol worship is not essential in the path of soul purification and attainment of Nirvana/Moksha. Sthānakavāsī accept thirty-two of the Jain Agamas, the Svetambara canon.^[1] Sthanakvasi argue that is no mention of idol worship and temples in the Agamas, and that Lord Mahavira never supported Idol worship. But instead, the idolatry of Murtipujaka Jains is adopted from other religions.

The early Jain reformer Loṅkā Śāh was a scribe who lived in the Gujarat region during the 15th century.^[2] His occupation allowed him access to many Jain scriptures and manuscripts, which he interpreted to lack references to the construction of temples or the worship of images, despite both being prevalent at the time and also idols belonging to the time of Lord Mahavira being worshiped. He argued that these practices were spiritually dangerous by grounding them as violations of ahiṃsā, the principle of non-injury central to Jain religion and philosophy.^[3] According to Loṅkā, re-shaping the land to build temples leads to the destruction of microscopic organisms, and pūjā rituals entail "subtle forms of harm" through material offerings like flowers or incense.^[4]

Loṅkā's lasting influence brought to light an an iconic impulse within a strict, doctrinal understanding of Jain teaching. The Śvetāmbara Sthānakavāsī and Terāpanthī sects accept this impulse, agreeing with Loṅkā that the most appropriate form of religious practice is mental worship (bhāva-pūjā), which is already performed by mendicants because the reliance on images and temples is indicative of an attachment to objects that is "spiritually counterproductive."^[5] Mūrtipūjaka Jains respond to the criticisms of mūrti-pūjā in two ways: first, by revealing that it is, in fact, scripturally prevalent; and second, by saying that images are necessary for the spiritual practices of laypeople. The monk Ātmārām (1837 – 1896), who was originally a Śvetāmbara Sthānakavāsī monk and later became the mendicant leader Ācārya Vijayānandasūri, discovered upon reading early Jain texts in Prakrit and their Sanskrit commentaries that there was an abundance of references to image worship.^[6] This led him to believe that the non-Mūrtipūjaka position actually "contravened Jain scripture".^[6]

Notes

^ Jains in the World, Religious Values and Ideology in India, John E. Cort, p. 46
^ Dundas, Paul (2002). The Jains. London, UK: Routledge. p. 246. ISBN 978-0415266062.
^ Dundas, Paul (2002). The Jains. London, UK: Routledge. p. 249. ISBN 978-0415266062.
^ Cort, John (2010). Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 5. ISBN 978-0195385021.
^ Long, Jeffrey (2009). Jainism: An Introduction. London, UK: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 978-1845116262.
^ ^a ^b Cort, John (2010). Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 6. ISBN 978-0195385021.

References

Dundas, Paul (2002), The Jains, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-26605-5

Cort, John (2010). Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 5. ISBN 978-0195385021.
Flügel, Peter (2008). "The Unknown Loṅkā: Tradition and the Cultural Unconscious". In Nalini Balbir; Colette Caillat (eds.). Jaina Studies. 12th World Sanskrit Conference, Helsinki, 13–18 July 2003. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas. pp. 181–279. ISBN 978-8120832473.
Long, Jeffrey (2009). Jainism: An Introduction. London, UK: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-1845116262.
Wiley, Kristi L. (2004). The A to Z of Jainism. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0810868212.

[1] Jains in the World, Religious Values and Ideology in India, John E. Cort, p. 46

[2] Dundas, Paul (2002). The Jains. London, UK: Routledge. p. 246. ISBN 978-0415266062.

[3] Dundas, Paul (2002). The Jains. London, UK: Routledge. p. 249. ISBN 978-0415266062.

[4] Cort, John (2010). Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 5. ISBN 978-0195385021.

[5] Long, Jeffrey (2009). Jainism: An Introduction. London, UK: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. p. 20. ISBN 978-1845116262.

[:1-6] Cort, John (2010). Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 6. ISBN 978-0195385021.

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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 [[File:Shravak Priests, Guzerat, 19515701.jpg|thumb|Some Sthanakvasi monks from Gujarat. ]]
 '''''Sthānakavāsī''''' is a [[sect]] of [[Śvētāmbara|Śvētāmbara Jainism]].The Sthanakvasi sect is different from the [[Murtipujaka]] sect in that it does not believe in idol worship. It believes that idol worship is not essential in the path of soul purification and attainment of [[Nirvana]]/[[Moksha]]. Sthānakavāsī accept thirty-two of the [[Jain Agamas]], the Svetambara canon.<ref>Jains in the World, Religious Values and Ideology in India, John E. Cort, p. 46</ref> Sthanakvasi argue that is no mention of idol worship and temples in the Agamas, and that Lord Mahavira never supported Idol worship. But instead, the idolatry of [[Murtipujaka]] Jains is adopted from other religions.
+The early Jain reformer Loṅkā Śāh was a scribe who lived in the Gujarat region during the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Jains|last=Dundas|first=Paul|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|isbn=978-0415266062|location=London, UK|pages=246}}</ref> His occupation allowed him access to many Jain scriptures and manuscripts, which he interpreted to lack references to the construction of temples or the worship of images, despite both being prevalent at the time and also idols belonging to the time of Lord Mahavira being worshiped. He argued that these practices were spiritually dangerous by grounding them as violations of ''[[Ahimsa in Jainism|ahiṃsā]],'' the principle of non-injury central to Jain religion and philosophy.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Jains|last=Dundas|first=Paul|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|isbn=978-0415266062|location=London, UK|pages=249}}</ref> According to Loṅkā, re-shaping the land to build temples leads to the destruction of microscopic organisms, and ''pūjā'' rituals entail "subtle forms of harm" through material offerings like flowers or incense.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History|url=https://archive.org/details/framingjinanarra00cort|url-access=limited|last=Cort|first=John|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0195385021|location=Oxford, UK|pages=[https://archive.org/details/framingjinanarra00cort/page/n23 5]}}</ref>
+Loṅkā's lasting influence brought to light an an iconic impulse within a strict, doctrinal understanding of Jain teaching. The Śvetāmbara Sthānakavāsī and Terāpanthī sects accept this impulse, agreeing with Loṅkā that the most appropriate form of religious practice is mental worship (''bhāva-pūjā),'' which is already performed by [[mendicant]]s because the reliance on images and temples is indicative of an attachment to objects that is "spiritually counterproductive."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Jainism: An Introduction|last=Long|first=Jeffrey|publisher=I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd|year=2009|isbn=978-1845116262|location=London, UK|pages=20}}</ref>
+Mūrtipūjaka Jains respond to the criticisms of ''mūrti-pūjā ''in two ways: first, by revealing that it is, in fact, scripturally prevalent; and second, by saying that images are necessary for the spiritual practices of laypeople. The monk [[Vijayanandsuri|Ātmārām]] (1837 – 1896), who was originally a Śvetāmbara Sthānakavāsī monk and later became the mendicant leader [[Acharya|Ācārya]] Vijayānandasūri, discovered upon reading early Jain texts in Prakrit and their Sanskrit commentaries that there was an abundance of references to image worship.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History|url=https://archive.org/details/framingjinanarra00cort|url-access=limited|last=Cort|first=John|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0195385021|location=Oxford, UK|pages=[https://archive.org/details/framingjinanarra00cort/page/n24 6]}}</ref> This led him to believe that the non-Mūrtipūjaka position actually "contravened Jain scripture".<ref name=":1" />

v t e Jain monks and nuns
Pattavali Ganadhara Indrabhuti Gautama Sudharmaswami Bhadrabahu Umaswati
Digambara monks
Branches	Mula Sangha Balatkara Gana Kashtha Sangha Taran Panth Bispanthi Digambara Terapanth Yapaniya Kanji Panth
Ancient	Dharasena Kundakunda Samantabhadra Pushpadanta Bhutabali Vattakera
Medieval	Amritchandra Bhadrabahu II Gunabhadra Pujyapada Nemichandra Virasena Jinasena Jayasena Akalanka Manatunga Ravisena Kumudendu Harisena Aparajita Yativṛṣabha Prabhācandra Vidyananda Taran Svami
Modern	Acharya Shantisagar Deshbhushan Vidyasagar Guptinandi Gyansagar Aryanandi Saubhagyasagar Muni Guptisagar Kshamasagar Pragyasagar Pramansagar Pranamsagar Pulaksagar Sudhasagar Tarun Sagar Kshullak Ganeshprasad Varni Jinendra Varni Aryika Gyanmati
Śvetāmbara ascetics
Gacchas	Upkeśa Gaccha Tapa Gaccha Kharatara Gaccha
Ancient	Keśiśramanācharya Swayamprabhasuri Ratnaprabhasuri Bhadrabahu Sthulabhadra Jinabhadra Devardhigani Siddhasena Vimalsuri
Medieval	Haribhadra Bappabhattisuri Hemachandra Aryarakshitsuri Kalyansagarsuri Yashovijaya Jinadattasuri Jinaharsha Anandghan Hiravijaya Manatunga Vidyamandansuri Udayaratna
Modern	Buddhisagarsuri Chandrashekhar Vijay Jambuvijaya Mahāprajña Mahashraman Prem Suri Vimalsagarsuri Ramchandra Suri Rajendrasuri Ratnasundarsuri Kalapurnasuri Tulsi Vijayanandsuri Nemisuri Vallabhsuri Daulatsagarsuri Hansratnasuri