Jain Theism

SR No.: 006509
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hemant Shah
Publisher: Hemant Shah
Publication Year: 1997
Total Pages: 218
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Religion
File Size: 10 MB

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Jain Theism
We all, by now, have become quite sure that Jainism is not atheistic but theistic. Now the point before us is whether the theism of Jainism as we have seen, appeared to be the same as those that found in the religions which are having traditional theism, like that of Christianity, Islam, etc, If an attempt to evaluate the value of Jain theism is made. it will necessarily imply the standards by which it can be evaluated. These standards naturally will be the standards concerning the conception of what theism ought to be. It is true that the Jain theism, to its credit, has much to claim itself theistic, but then the following points are also to be considered which are if not atheistic are not theistic in its conventional sense.
(i) The Jain theism, as we have seen, has God in it. But then the God in Jainism, inspite of all powerful and all blissful like the God of other religions, is a soul that was once embodied and has become God by self-effort. We do not find such a situation in the conventional theism.
(ii) According to Jainism, God is not the world-creator. God can not be conceived as one who deals in such activities as the creation of the world. The world, according to Jainism, is since the beginningless of time (Anādi). In the conventional theism we find God as the worldcreator.
(iii) According to some, in Jainism there is no scope for prayer as well as the divine grace, We have already in our previous chapter shown how this is not true. As a matter of fact, the Jain theism has prayer as well as divine grace both quite significant and quite meaningful. But then the nature of the Jain prayer and the divine grace is not the nature of the same as we find in Christianity and Islam. Jainism being a rational religion and realistic in its approach, though it contains prayer its nature is different, with regards to the problem of divine grace, it is always derived indirectly or inferred. The Yoga and Sādhanā, of -course, speak of the divine grace directly upon the meditating soul.
(iv) Regarding the religious experience in Jainism we did discuss what could be the nature of such experience in Jainism. But then we do not find any details describing or discussing such mystic experiences that would throw more light on the supreme or the ultimate reality. We do find such experiences in other conventional theism.