I am Rishabha and not the Buddha!
I was the first human to attain enlightenment. I’m the founder of Jainism, a non-theistic religion which prescribe a path of Ahimsa – nonviolence – towards all living beings, and emphasizes equality between all forms of life.
In Jainism, violence refers primarily to injuring one’s own self – behaviour which inhibits the soul’s own ability to attain liberation. At the same time it also means violence to others because it is this tendency to harm others that ultimately harms one’s own soul.
Ahiṃsā profoundly influenced Mahatma Gandhi; it formed a basis of his satyagraha (truth struggle) against colonial ruling.
Jaisalmer, India, 2014.