Peace Religious Harmony and Solution of World Problems from Jaina Prespective

SR No.: 001657
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 2002
Total Pages: 70
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Social
File Size: 4 MB

Page 36

trying to assert supermacy aggressively. Anekānta bring the spirit of intellectual and social tolerance.
For the present-day society what is awfully needed, is the virtue of tolerance. This virtue of tolerance i.e. regard for others ideologies and faiths has been maintained in Jainism form the very beginning. Mahāvīra mentions in the Sūtrakrtānga, 'those who praise their own faiths and ideologies and blame those of their opponents and thus distort the truth will remain confined to the cycle of birth and death . Jaina philosophers have always maintained that all the judgments are true by their own viewpoints, but they are false so far as they refute totally other's view-points. Here I would like to quote verses from works of Haribhadra (8th century A.D.) and Hemacandra (12th century A.D.), which are the best examples of religious tolerance in Jainism. In Lokatattvanirnaya Haribhadra says: "I bear no bias towards Lord Mahāvīra and no disregard to the Kapila and other saints and thinkers, whatsoever is rational and logical ought to be acceptedl. Hemcandra in his Mahādeostotra says" "I bow to all those who have overcome attachment and hatred, which are the cause of worldly existence, be they Brahmā, Vişnu, Siva or Jina''. Thus, Jaina saints have tried all the times to maintain the harmony in different religious-faiths and tried to avoid religious conflicts.
The basic problems of present society are mental tensions, violence and conflicts of ideologies and faiths. Jainism had tried to solve these problems of mankind through the three basic tenets of non-attachment or non-possessiveness (Aparigraha), non-violence (Ahin non-absolutism (Anekānta). If mankind observes these three principles, peace and harmony can certainly be established in the world.
Problem of the Preservation of Ecological Equilibrium
The world has been facing a number of problems such as mental tensions, war and violence, ideological conflicts, economic inequality, political subjugation and class conflicts notonly today but from its remote past. Though some of these have assumed and alarming proportion today, yet no doubt the most crucial problem of our age is, or for coming generation would be, that of ecological disbalance. Only a half century back we could not even think of it. But today every one is aware of the fact that ecological disbalance is directly related to the very survival of huamn