“Religion is as morally neutral as, for example, a knife. When you use it to cut sandwiches, then a knife is a good thing; but if you use it to poke at someone's guts, then… (Brewer, 2006, p. 1)” Ethical disagreements within a religious culture sometimes become acute enough to tear it apart. Vedic Hindu rituals required animal sacrifice, which Jains considered immoral (Molloy, p. 193). Instead of having blood on their hands, Jains preferred to practice peaceful coexistence with all living beings. Therefore, the Jain symbol of the right hand reminds people to stop and think about the right course of action. The word “ahimsa” or non-violence is written on the palm of this symbol (Daryapurkar, 2008, p. 1). Jains instead focus their energies on the internal struggle. In fact, the name Jain derives from the Sanskrit word “Jina” or conqueror (Molloy, p. 195). Like Hindus, Jains live a moksha-oriented life; however, they have perfected the process in their own unique way of avoiding karma and “winning” the soul. Although Jainism is a religion that is considered timeless, the most important and influential figure among the twenty-four Tirthankaras was Mahavira and he lived approximately between 599 and 468 BC (Molloy, p. 194). It is interesting to note that although Mary Fisher and Lee Bailey offer the translation of the word “Tirthankaras” as “bridge builder (p. 94)”, Michael Molloy uses the term “ford finder (p. 194)” to suggest that this is the way it's not dry. Jains believe that Mahavira's exemplary behavior is the epitome of soul-winning, and much of the respect they receive today comes from immersing their minds in his ideologies. To win the soul, Jains must first understand its nature. Beyond the Centuries...... middle of paper......3, 2011, from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jake-brewer/desmond-tutu-and-the-reli_b_21961. htmlDaryapurkar, V. (2008, March 16). Jain symbol. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from Jainism Global Resource Center: http://www.jainworld.com/education/jainsymbol.htmElst, K. (2001, November 2002). Are Jains Hindus? Retrieved October 24, 2011, from The Koenraad Elst: http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/books/wiah/ch7.htmFisher, M.P., & Bailey, L.W. (2008). An anthology of living religions. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.Lalwani, S. (2011, October 4). Beliefs of Jainism. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from Pujas.com: http://www.pujas.com/Jainism-basicbelief1.htmlMolloy, M. (2008). Experience world religions. New York: McGraw-Hill.Reference.com. (n.d.). Karma. Retrieved October 23, 2011, from Reference.com: http://www.reference.com/browse/karma