An Introduction to Jain Philosophy

Based on Writings and Discourses by Ācārya Sushil Kumar

Parveen Jain

• Publisher: D.K. Printworld
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9788124610428
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Eastern Philosophy

About the Author
Parveen Jain, PhD, is a prolific entrepreneur who has founded and led multiple technology companies in the Silicon Valley. He has ten technology patents, has contributed to over fifty technical publications, and has been recognized with multiple awards for his philanthropic and professional work.
For over thirty years, Dr. Jain has been a leader in the vibrant Jain and Hindu communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an ordained œrÀvaka (householder) disciple of °cÀrya Sushil Kumar (GurujÁ), the source of his religious and spiritual education and the motivation for Dr. Jain's erudition in the Jain tradition. Dr. Jain is deeply involved in the growth of Siddhachalam, the first Jain Tirtha (a pilgrimage, and the abode of enlightened spirituality) outside of India, and considers that, along with leading the effort to build a Jain temple in the San Francisco Bay Area, to be his foremost accomplishment. Inspired by Guruji, he is passionate about applying Jain principles and scriptures to everyday practice for the growing global Jain community and beyond, for current and future generations. About the Book
It is well-known that the Jain tradition has been extremely influential in the development of Indian thought and culture. The Jain tradition teaches that there is an interdependence of perception, knowledge, and conduct unified by an axiomatic principle of non-violence in thought, speech, and action. In this way, non-violence defines the core of the Jain tradition, which has had a profound effect on other dh?rmic traditions originating in India. Jain Dharma is so significant that in some ways it may be incomplete to attempt to understand other Indian traditions (such as Buddhism or Hinduism) without knowing the basics of the Jain tradition, since these other traditions developed in an ongoing dialogue with the insights and wisdom of Jain respondents and visionaries.
This book enables the reader to enjoy a comprehensive journey into the intricate world of Jain thought and culture in a way that is philosophical in its compelling rationality, deeply spiritual in its revelations, yet accessible in its language. The organization of this book allows the reader to engage in an overview of the central teachings of the Jain tradition, but also to ascertain the profundity of its depths. It can be read with equal efficacy in succession from beginning to end, or pursued by individual topics of interest to the reader. Either strategy will have the same effect: a systematic understanding of what the timeless teachings of Jain thinkers have to say about the universal issues of the human condition – and how we might understand our harmonious relationship with other living entities as a powerful and effective spiritual journey.

1

Characteristics of Jain Dharma
(Jain Dharma kā Svarūpa)

FROM ancient times, philosophers and thinkers have had differing opinions about religion and its role in life and society. The result of these differences is that today hundreds of different sectarian groups have come into existence around the world, and new ones continue to be formed regularly. Right from the beginning, there have been many religious philosophies that have had positive impacts on society. At the same time, on many occasions, sectarian forces have controlled and manipulated religion and its disposition in society. In a way, this is similar to how political forces have biased the progression in science and technology for their own agendas.

Since time immemorial, human beings have utilized the platform of religion and science for the search of truth. Asia has been the world’s source of many religious explorations and evolutions. The continent has been the birthplace of many of the world’s foremost religious canons that have come to diffuse across the entire globe. Within Asia, India has been at the forefront of many of those religious and spiritual developments, especially those that promote communal living integrated with nature and ecology. Jain, Buddhist, and Vedic doctrines are some of India’s monumental contributions to the world religions, while Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all originated in Palestine and Arabia. The Zoroastrian religion, which originated in Iran, thrived at one time but is all but extinct now, except for a small community in India, where they are known as Parsis. The religious philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism came from China, and Japan was the birthplace of the Shinto religion.

The originators and philosophical thinkers behind the religions of the world may have not necessarily intended to initiate a new religion, and often only sought to unravel and promulgate eternal religious truths that are beyond the limitations of time. For their followers, their work has illustrated ways to realize the Ultimate Truth.

Lord Mahāvīra,1 the most recent great teacher of the Jain tradition, says, “All the Jina Arhant2 divinities (tīrthaṅkaras3) of the past, present, and future, expound only one and the same eternally profound framework of doctrines.”4 This framework is defined by the principles of “non-violence against all living beings, non-persecution of all living beings, and never enslaving anyone nor allowing oneself to be enslaved by anyone.”

Similar to the spirit of the Jain tradition, while addressing his disciples, Lord Buddha stated:

My fellow monks, I have envisioned an ancient pathway that has been adopted by pre-historic arihantas (great teachers). By following the trails illustrated by them, I have been able to demystify many fundamental principles of nature and divinity.5

There is a mantra in the R̥gveda6 that states: “There is only real truth, but the scholars express their interpretations in many different ways.”7 By this, one can see a commonality whereby the true religions of the world are not just empty dogmas. Their tenets are defined by a set of teachings related to the cause, nature, purpose, and formation of the universe. By a common dialectic in Indian thought, the variegated teachings of each religion are not the exhaustive truth but are multiple pursuits of the one Ultimate Truth. Each of these religions constitutes a field of research for truth in itself, and collectively they may be seen to illustrate a direction to achieve the perception of the irrevocable truth of reality.

In Jain Dharma, this pursuit of the Ultimate Truth by different religions is described as the dharma (doctrine) of Anekāntavāda8 – the tenet describing multiple manifestations of one Ultimate Truth. This is an encompassing and eternal doctrine because it ascribes that no single unilateral (partial) view of truth can be considered predominant (absolute truth) among the diversity of coexisting, multilateral expressions of truth that are found in the world’s many traditions.

However, many religions have asserted their individual, unilateral expressions of truth. This has resulted in the development of several hundred diverse religious dogmas in India alone. They may claim to be unique based on their definitions and understandings of truth, and their followers may continue to diverge from other beliefs or even from the irrevocable truth itself. However, such unilateral belief systems that act outside of the dialogical relationship of a pluralistic religious environment may give rise to incomplete understanding that is devoid of a more inclusive perspective. If more religions were to recognize that there might be multiple interpretations of the Ultimate Truth, their differences would be based solely on the principles of reality and truth, and they would not differentiate on the basis of artificial variances and arguments designed for self-promotion. In fact, it could be argued that the essence and inherent nature of religions should be one and the same – the pursuit of the Ultimate Truth and acceptance of the right to live in peace and tranquility with all living beings.

Lord Mahāvīra discussed 363 different religious doctrines during his era. Some of those were doctrines driven by ritualistic practices (kriyāvādī), others were based on ethical codes (vinayavādī), and even others were put forth by sceptics or agnostics (ajñānavādī). There was no coordination between them. The glaring mistake has been that while following the practices of one religion one often ignores or disputes other teachings or practices of the same religion, o...