Gems of Jainism

SR No.: 001803
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hemant Shah
Publisher: Academy of Philosophy
Publication Year: 2008
Total Pages: 142
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Articles, & Religion
File Size: 8 MB

Page 20

2
JAIN ABSOLUTE
Jain Darshan is usually supposed to be atheistic. Is that so ? Although learned Jains believe in Atheistic Philosophy of Jain Darshan, the Jain laity, by and large does not consider Jainism to bo atheistic. A long tradition exists that Jainism is a Godless religion. But that tradition is confiened to those who are learned in Jain Philosophical doctrines. Ordinary Jain is unaffected by this tradition. The question is, Is Jainism really atheistic ? Is jain religion without God ? Before giving the answers to those questions one requires a cool consideration of the doctrines involved in Jain system of Philosophy. I can go to the extent of saying that even one doctrine, namely Syadwad if examined, one can come to the definite conclusion that Jainism is not Godless, can not be Godless. Let us examine this.
Syādwād is Jain Dialectics. It is a very powerful and important doctrine of Jainism. Syādwād is a sort of Logic In ordinary logic there are two types of Propositions; positive propositions and negative propositions. In ordinary logic either a thing is or is not. A thing cannot both be and not be. But in Jain logic this is not so. In Jain Logic, i.e. Syadwad, a thing can both be and not be at the same time. According to Jain Darshan anything of the world has infinite characteristic (anantdharmakam vastu) Now one cannot know all the characteristic of a thing. It is physically impossible to know the infinite characteristic of a thing. One can know; only certain aspects of a thing. Usually what is predicated of a thing is an aspect of a thing and aspect is never absolute; it is always relative. According to Syadwad what ever is, is under a particular circumstance. And