Source Book in Jaina Philosophy

SR No.: 001263
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Devendramuni
Publisher: Tarak Guru Jain Granthalay
Publication Year: 1983
Total Pages: 590
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Philosophy
File Size: 10 MB

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A SOURCE-BOOK IN JAINA PHILOSOPHY
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the Buddhist theory of Catuskoți, because Jainism prevailed much earlier to time of the Buddha. There were twenty three Tīrthankaras before the Buddha. Tīrthankara Pārsvanātha lived two hundred and fifty years before the Buddha. He has presented the doctrine of Syādvāda. Sanjaya Velathiputta lived much earlier to the Buddha. He had criticised the Syādvāda as a from of sarśayavāda (the theory of doubt). From this, it is clear that Syādvāda was formulated before the time of the Buddha. The theory of Cațuşkoți was formulated much later than the Buddha.
We may also point out that there are fundamental differences between the Catūskoți and Syādvāda. The conceptual form of Catuşkoți is formulated as follows :
1. it is not that a thing is; 2. it is not that a thing is not; 3. it is not that a thing is and is not; 4. it is not that a thing neither is nor is not.
But Saptabhangi incorporates the predications of affirmation negation, and inexpressibility in their possible permutations. It is not merely an expresession of negation of a thing, it predicates the nature of a thing in its different aspects, in the form of affirmation and negation. The affirmation and negation are to be predicated with reference to the four-fold aspects of the self nature of the objects (sva-catuştaya) and the four-fold aspects of the other nature of the objects (para catuştaya). According to Saptabhangi, the predications of the nature of man would be that he is a man and he is not a non-man like other animals. But Catuskoți would express negative aspect of predications, as it is not that a man is a man, it is not that a man is other than the man. It is not that a man is and is not other than the man; and it is not that the man neither is nor is not other than the man. In this way, Catuşkoți is neither the expression of the affirmation nor is it the presentation of the different aspects of the nature of a thing.
Saptabhangi does not deny the possibility of the affirmative
1. Herman Jacobi : Jaina Sūtras-introduction,