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PREFACE
In India, Philosophy has developed through three different traditions : the orthodox, the Buddhist and the Jaina. Of course, although these traditions are independent there was always some communication, crisscrossing of thought amongst them which cnriched each of these traditions.
About 40 years back, when some Jaina texts like Syā dvādamanjari and Syādvādaratnākara came my way I was attracted by some of the concepts and the theories engraved in the Jaina thought. It was my desire at that time to see that these valuable concepts in Jaina thought were expressed in modern idiom, in an unpolluted form. Most of the thought which comes to us through our modern or western scholarship is, to my mind, largely blame the scholars for it. Pollution takes place because our thought is mixed with religious beliefs and we are not able to separate Philosophy from Religion. This was also the case with western philosophic thought, whether it was Greek, medieval or even modern. But in Europc the sphere of philosophy was gradually separated from that of religion and one can, now, stu western philosophic thought in its purc form, more or less. But those who insist on maintaining western philosophical thought in its pure form, somehow or the other, seem to be interested in making a cocktail of Indian religious, cultural, mystical and philosophical thoughts. When I read a few Buddhist and Jaina philosophical works and also studied some systems of orthodox thought under some pandits, I thought that there was necessity of reunderstanding Indian Philosophy, a necessity of Philosophy renaissance. This could be achieved only with the help of devoted people, well-trained in the subject, equipped with the rigorous analytic and rational method and interested in deciphering the pure thought from other ingredients. With this end in view I worked for the establishment of a Chair in Jaina Philosophy, Culture and Literature. The 2500th anniversary of the mahānirvana of Bhagavān Mahāvīra augmented the process and with the encouragement given to me by the late Shri Ratilalbhai Nanavati, late Shri Shadilal Jain late Shri Rishabhadasji Ranka, late Shri Kesarichandji
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