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JAINISM AND DEMOCRACY
Samantabhadra, the founder of Jain logic, addressing a Tirthañkar says : "O Lord, you are great and venerable, not because, gods worship you and you possess halo and other extra-ordinary embellishments. You deserve our worship only because, your words cannot be contradicted by logic.” Haribhadra (800 A.D.) the author of satania 999arat says, "I hold neither favour for Mahavira, nor prejudice against Kapila etc. Whosoever is logical should be accepted." These logicians are prepared to gather information from scriptures yet resort to logic for final validity.
Buddhist logic does not admit the validity of testimony. Buddha said in clear words often fraai qu' HET a ankara (O Bhikkus, accept my words only after proper examination, not out of respect for me'). Buddhism up to Dharmakirti, did not believe in omniscience as well.. In his truerfáca Dharmakirti clearly says:
सर्वं पश्यतु वा मा वा तत्त्वमिष्टं तु पश्यतु ।
कीटसंख्यापरिज्ञानं तस्य नः किं प्रयोजनम् ।। It does not matter whether a person sees or does not see all the objects. We are concerned with that one sees the things that serve our purpose. What is the use of knowing the number of insects ?
But, later Buddhism, as in the case of all religious systems, began to believe in scriptures, as well as in the omniscience entered into Buddhism as an equipment of Bodhisattva who needed it in his mission of redeeming others.
The Sānkhya does admit testimony as an independent source of knowledge; but confines its validity to
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