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JAINISM AND BUDDHISM
"There the beings experience pleasure, pain, birth, death, re-birth owing to the results of their own karmas in this fearful and endless world-ocean."
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SYADVADA OR
MANY-SIDED-NESS.
296
In the old Pali scriptures the doctrine of Syadvâda is found in many statements, just as it is existing in the Jain scriptures. One substance has many controversial natures which are viewed and stated from different points of view. It is for that reason that a substance is called Anekânta or having many natures at a time, just as a young man has many relations at one time. He is son with reference to his father, he is father with reference to his son, he is uncle with reference to his nephew, he is nephew with reference to his uncle. Thus a man can have many relations from different aspects at one and the same time. But they cannot be described by one word at one and the same time. When one relation will be described, others cannot be described although they are present there. In order to state a fact in its correct stand-point, the doctrine of Syadvâda is meant. Syât means, from some standpoint," Vâda means to state," thus Syadvâda means, 'to say a thing from some stand-point.'
66
Let us give an example. A man dies and is born as a horse. Now the being in the horse is the same as was in the man as well as not the same as it was in the man.
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