An Introduction To Jainism: [34] Who is a Real Jain?

Once, when Ācārya Tulsī visited Jodhpur, he was asked as to when the Jain tenets were so excellent, why the number of Jain followers was so small?

Ācārya Tulsī said "I don't believe that, the number of Jains is so small as you believe."

The reply was quite surprising Ācārya Tulsi clarified it thus:

"Lord Mahāvīra's religion does not give importance to taking birth in Jain family, but to the faith and practice of its tenets. The relevance of such a religion transcends time and space. The basic tenets of Jainism are ahiṃsā, aparigraha and anekānta, which are universally acceptable. It is not confined only to rites and rituals. Its real spirit lies in the faith and virtues, which are the foundation for the well-being of humanity as a whole for all times to come. So I am not speaking about the number of Jains by birth, but about that of people at large, who have faith in the Jain tenets and also who try to put them into practice, even though they are not Jain by birth. The number of such people is definitely not so small as you think."