The foyer on the first floor of the Museum of Far Eastern Art in the Starry Tenement

Climbing the wooden stairs to the first floor, we enter the lobby. Stone and wooden sculptures are displayed here. The most noteworthy are the sandstone reliefs related to Jainism. They depict the spiritual masters of this Indian religion - the Tirthankars. They date from the 11th to the 13th century. Tirthankars are the teachers and spiritual leaders of Jainism - one of India's oldest philosophical and religious systems. Jainism originated in India around the 6th century BC and is primarily an ethical system. The lives of followers of Jainism are governed by a set of principles: refraining from causing suffering to any living being, refraining from lying, refraining from stealing, refraining from adultery and refraining from owning unnecessary property. It was under the overwhelming influence of Jainism that Mahatma Gandhi developed the idea of passive resistance.