Man is 'homo
sapiens'. He has built civilizations and destroyed them too. Magnificent
empires were built, mighty in their day. It was difficult to doubt their
power. But their day is done and their courts 'the lion and the lizard
keep'. We have seen the phenomenal advancement of science in our own day.
As we gaze at the incredible rapidity of scientific progress we are losing
touch with the spiritual side of man. We are on cross-roads of life,
between two worlds; ' one dead and the powerless to be born' . We see
everywhere social and political chaos. There is distrust and frustration,
and for a decade or more we have lived on the brink of another world war
more disastrous than the earlier too, which would mean total destruction
of human race. Whether it would mean pralaya we do not know. But when it
comes we can only see the broken bits of civilization, if we are to
survive this catastrophe. And all this is due to a wrong approach to the
understanding of the problems of life and experience.A new kind of a
materialism is being emphasised today where in we pay exclusive attention
to material comforts and ignore the higher values. But to understand life
and nature we have to transcend the narrow partial points of view and
adopt a synoptic view of life. We have to realize that others' points of
view have also to be considered and respected. Dogmatic approach of
looking at the problems leads to intolerance and then to violence. Jainas
have preached the synoptic view of life in their theory of Anekanta. It
emphasises the catholic outlook towards life. Intellectual nonviolence,
respect for other points of view are the key-note of this doctrine, and
that would be a panacea for all the ills of our social
and political life
today. Jainism is an ancient religion which prevailed even before
Vardhamana Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and Parsva the twentythird
Tirthamkaras. It is a pre-Aryan religion coming from the Sramana current
of thought, and sramana thought was prevailing in India long before the
Aryans came to this country The antiquity of Jainism as reflecting the
Pre-Aryan thought of the upper class of North-Eastern India has now been
established beyond dispute. Jaina tradition is unanimous in making Rsabha
the first Tirthamkara as the founder of Jainism. Long before the Aryans
reached the Ganges or even Sarasvati. Jainism had been taught by prominent
saints or Tirthamkaras, prior to the historical twentythird Parsva of the
eighth or ninth century B. C. Many Western scholars like Jacobi Vincent
Smith Forlong and Zimmer have accepted the Pre-Aryan prevalence of
Jainism. Radhakrishnanaccepts the view that Jainism prevailed in India
even before Parsva and Vardhamana, the last two Tlrthamkaras. Hiralal
Jain has interpreted the mention of Kesi and Kesi Rsabha in the Rgveda as
referring to the first Tirthamkara. When Buddhism arose Jainism was
already an ancient sect with its stronghold near about Vaisali which was
visited and admired by Buddha.
The Anekanta
outlook of the Jainas pervades their entire philosophy and life. The whole
texture of Jaina philosophy and ethics is woven in the Anekanta attitude.
We have accordingly analyse in this treatise some of the conceptions in
Jaina philosophy and ethics as rejecting the Anekanta outlook. Jiva has
been considered from the noumenal and the phenomenal points of view. From
the noumenal point of view, it is pure and perfect, and from the
phenomenal it is the agent and the enjoyer of fruits of Karma. Our
experience can be graded into levels as the sense and the supersensuous
experience. Jiva in its empirical existence is involved in the wheel of
Samsara through the Yoga (activity). This involvement is beginningless,
though it has an end. The end is freedom from the wheel of life and the
attainment of Moksa. For this we have to remove the Karma that has
accrued to the soul. The Jainas have worked out an elaborate theory of
Karma almost making it a science. The Anekanta view pervades the analysis
of Karma. Karma is a substantive force. It is material in nature. It
consists of fine particles of matter which are glued to the soul as soot
to the surface of the mirror. The influx of Karma leads to bondage of Jiva
to the wheel of life. This bondage of soul to Karma is determined by the i)
nature (prakrti), duration (sthiti), intensity (anubhagha) and quantity (
pradesa) of Karma. Karma has its psychological aspect also in the Bhava
karma.
Moksa is to be
achieved through the triple path of right intuition, right knowledge and
right conduct. The belief in the Tattvas is the right faith, knowledge of
the real is right knowledge and freedom from attachment and aversion is
right conduct. The path of virtue is the path which leads to
self-realization. The five Vratas are fundamental for the Jainas. However,
the practice of the Vratas and the ethical life have been graded in two
levels as duty of a muni (ascetic) and the life of sravaka (lay follower).
'The purpose is to realize the highest gradually and with ease. In this
analysis of ethical concepts we find the application of the spirit of
Anekanta.
The same can be
found in their interpretation of Ahimsa as an ethical principle. The Jaina
attitude to the conception of God expresses the spirit of Anekanta. The
Jainas are against the Theistic conception of God. But each soul in its
pure and perfect form, is divine. Still the 'Tirthamkaras are worshipped
not because they are gods but because they are human, yet divine -- to be
kept before us as ideals for emulation. Apart from the worship of the
Tirthamkaras, we find a pantheon of gods as a social survival and a
psychological necessity.
Life is to be
considered as a struggle for prefection. We do not get ready made views.
We have to look at life through many coloured glasses and as a �vale of
soul making". This is the picture of Jaina outlook on life as presented in
this book. It may, perhaps, give a discrete picture. The purpose has been
to see some of the problems in the light of synoptic point of view as
expressed in the Anekanta.
The metaphysical
elements of Jainism have not been discussed in detail as the main object
of this work has been to present the Jaina view of life. However,
principle of asrava, bandha, samvara and nirjara have been incidentally
woven in the texture of the scheme while describing the entanglement of
the soul in samsara and the efforts to attain Moksa. Jiva and Moksa are
the prius and the end of the noumenal world. We have studied them at
length.
This problem has
been engaging my attention for some time past, and it has developed in the
form of this book at the inspiration and guidance of Dr. A.N. Upadhye of
Kolhapur. I gave a synopsis of this work in my talk at the Jaina Boarding
at Kolhapur during the Paryusana festival in 1963. I have made use of two
chapters from my earlier book Some Problems in Jaina Psychology. I am
grateful to the Registrar, Karnatak University, Dharwar for permitting me
to use this material from my previous book I have incorporated in this
book some of my articles already published in different philosophical
Journal by retouching them here and there to form a part of this book.
I am grateful to
the Editors and Publishers of these Journals for their permission to use
my articles in the book. I must express my gratitude to the late Professor
Charles A. Moore, of the University of Hawaii, Honolulu (U. S. A.) for
permitting me to use my article Thc Doctrine of Karma in Jaina Philosophy
published in Philosophy East and West, a Journal of Oriental and
Comparative Thought, Volume XI, Numbers 3 and 4 July,October-1965. I have
intended, in this book, to weave out some of my papers published earlier
so as to bring out a coherent picture of the Jaina view of life as
expressing the Anekanta outlook. I must express my sense of profound
gratitude to Dr. A. N. Upadhye for all the encouragement and guidance he
has given me. I thank the authorities of the Jaina Samskrti Samraksaka
Sangha, Sholapur, for publishing this work. I thank my colleague Shri S.
R. Gunjal, M.A., M.Lib.Sc. for assisting me in going through the proofs.
Dharwar
31.3 69.
T. G. KALGHATGI
