Jains in India and Abroad

SR No.: 007601
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Prakash C Jain
Publisher: International Summer School for Jain Studies
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 260
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 6 MB

Page 144

both exist. For the Jains world is not an illusion; it is real. But epistemologically speaking, this is valid only from the empirical standpoint (paryayarthika naya). From the transcendental point of view, however, Reality and Existence, and Reality and Substance are identified as one which finds expression in a cryptic proposition of a Jain classic: “All is one because all exists” (Tattvarth-Sutra Bhasya, I. 35).
Spiritual individualism or "individuation" and familism constitute another set of dualism which is very strong among the Jains. Individuation refers to the individual quest for salvation and in the case of Jainism it is particularly derived from its elaborate karma theory. The essence of familism on the other hand is filial obedience and parental authority.
At the metaphysical level, the sense of individual responsibility in Jainism stems from what Weber (1958: 108) in case of Protestantism termed "an unheard-of inner isolation of the individual”. The gap between human frailty on the one hand and the belief in the perfectibility of man on the other further intensifies this inner isolation. In the case of Jainism, this resulted neither in "radical devaluation" nor in "mistrust” of human relationships as Weber finds in the case of Protestantism. Therefore, it should not be surprising that contrary to Calvinist anti-familism "in its emphasis upon a first obedience to one's own soul and to God" (Strodtbeck 1958: 156), the Jains display rather a strong sense of familism and jointness of the family.
Although the emphasis on familism restricted the growth of impersonal relationships, and national formal organization, nevertheless, it contributed towards normative and functional integration of the joint family and consequently a sense of discipline which is so essential in business and commerce. Although no crossreligious studies exist regarding the extent of breakdown and disorganization of joint family in India, it can well be hypothesized that the practice must be less among Jains (Jain 1986). Joint family not only checks division of property, it is less "expensive" and encourages savings. Joint family bonds also help businessmen in retaining a tight control over their resources and management.
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