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Philosophy and Psychology of The Jainas Jaina philosophy, therefore, is not the doctrine of illusion, or of emanation, or of creation. It is rather the doctrine that teaches the inexpugnability of various properties inextricably combined in a thing. Hence, the affirmation of only one property would be true so far as one side of the question is concerned; but it becomes false when it rejects other sides - implying thereby that the very existence of that particular side depends on the existence of other sides.Jainism emphasizes at the same time the fact that at any particular moment it is impossible to express in words this complexity of truth (though possible to realize it in consciousness), for words always take for expression more moments than one.
This teaching is also known as the doctrine of manysidedness.(Anekantvad) For instance, the universe is eternal as well as non-eternal. If the manifestations, modifications, developments, and activities are left out of consideration, what remains of the universe is eternal. If merely those modifications, etc., are taken into consideration, that side of the universe (which is not a different thing from the universe, but only a different aspect,) is non-eternal. That is the only way of coming to a correct understanding and definite knowledge.
Sankaracharya, commentator of the Vedanta-sutras, has fallen into a great error when he states that the Jaina doctrine should not be accepted because “it is impossible that contradictory attributes, such as being and non being, should at the same time belong to one and the same thing; just as observation teaches us that a thing cannot be hot and cold at the same moment.” The Jainas do not teach that a thing can be hot and cold at the same moment. But they do teach that a thing cannot be hot absolutely, and cannot be cold absolutely; it is hot under certain definite circumstances, and cold under others. The Jainas do not teach that being and non-being (of itself) - should at the same time belong to one and the same thing. What they teach is that in a
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Jain Education International
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| SR No. | 006901 |
| Book Title | Jaina Philosophy |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Virchand R Gandhi, Kumarpal Desai |
| Publisher | World Jain Confederation |
| Publication Year | 2009 |
| Total Pages | 298 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 5 MB |