ABSTRACT
Weber observes that Jainism and Buddhism are historically important forms of belief because they had their origin in India and succeeded for several centuries in winning recognition as the dominant competitors of Hinduism. Buddhism diffused to all areas of India; Jainism to considerable portions of India. However this was only transitory. Although Buddhism later completely disappeared from India, it developed into a world religion which partly exerted a culturally revolutionizing influence from Ceylon and India across Tibet to Siberia including China, Korea and Japan. Jainism remained essentially restricted to Indian territory and was confined to a small sect which often is claimed by the Hindus as belonging to their community. Of the two, which were in sharpest competition with one another and which emerged in classical kshatriya times (in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.), Jainism is the older and more exclusively Indian and for reasons of expedient presentation shall be discussed first.
