Mahavira
Followers of Jainism trace their tradition to Mahavira, an ascetic monk who lived in India in the 6th century B.C.E. Born a prince and reared in the cultural milieu that also gave rise to Hinduism and Buddhism, Mahavira abandoned worldly things at the age of 30. Twelve years later, naked and without possessions, he had achieved such insight that he began gathering disciples and preaching. Central to his teaching was the doctrine of ahimsa, or nonviolence. At a time when ideas about inter-species reincarnation were becoming more and more popular, Mahavira and his disciples took great pains to avoid harming creatures of all kinds.