Jainism is one of the
Indian philosophies that does not consider the
Vedas divine authority and
advocates
atheism because a
God can't be seen through
perception or
inference.
The doctrine governing the faith sounds a little like the Eight Fold Path of Buddhism. The main ideas
Jains do believe in the existence of a soul and that it is inherently perfect but is usually bound in an imperfect body because of past karma. The practice of Jainism is intended to perfect the soul again so it can overcome its past karma and, of course, passions of the flesh.
Jain followers typically wear cotton masks to prevent them from swallowing insects or even germs. They consider this part of their dedication to the idea of non-violence. Along with this they usually have their evening meal before the sun sets as a precaution against insects being attracted to lights.