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27. Contribution of Acārya Umās vāti
to The Concept of Existence
The Contrubution of Acārya Umāsvāti regarding the Concept of existence is twofold: (i) he is the first to give the definition of existence as possessed of origination, cessation and persistence. Though this concept is already available in the canonical literature of the Jain, yet the specific definition of existence as such was given by the Acārya Umāsvāti for the first time. This definition has been accepted later by all the Jain thinkers unanimously. (ii) In his auto-commentary on Tattvārtha sūtra 5/31 Acārya Umāsvāti has classified existence into four categories. This classification is his own contribution which has been given in the auto-commentary and explained in the commentary on that autocommentary by Acārya Siddhsenagani. Two Aspects of Existence
While describing the nature of existence we find its two dimensions ;(1) Being and (2) Becoming. The idealistic systems accept the reality either of the two, condemning the other as only a fiction of mind. For example the Vedāntins would accept the reality of Being. condemning the phenomenon of Becoming only as an illusion. The Buddhist, on the other hand, accept the reality of Becoming, condemming Being only as an imagination. The Vaiseșikās found out a third way. According to them both the permanent and the transitory are real but whatever is permanent is totally different from whatever transitory. Thus according to
व्रात्य दर्शन • २३३
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