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Jainism as a World Religion
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absolutistic attitude in thinking can provide a strong ideological foundation for non-violence. Compassion is the moral basis of non-violence. Unity and existence of soul is its metaphysical basis but the Doctrine of Manifoldness of Turth and non-absolutism (Anekāntavāda)is the unfailing ideological foundation of non-violence. All dogmatism and fanaticism owe its genesis to this partiality of outlook and fondness for a particular line of thinking. The conflict becomes not only inevitable but also irreconciliable when the advocate of a particular religion develops a fanatic zeal and refuses to view it from other angles of vision. The Jainas, in accordance with their philosophy of life, refuse to take an exclusivistic standpoint and thus try to overcome ideological and religious conflict. This catholicism of outlook is the natural outcome and extension of absolutistic attitude may be regarded as a very strong foundation of a world religion. There is no quarrel and conflict with the assertions and truth-claims of the other, we have to appreciate their unique visions and assign their proper value in an impartial estimation, in the light of its interconnection with the entire reality.
As a corrolary to this principle of non-absolutism in thought, we need a synthetic principle in life. It cannot be anything other than nonviolence and peace. This is also the demand of our survival. This doctrine of non-violence seems to have arisen out of a strong sence of the unity of the universe. At the same time, there is a firm desire to escape from the material world, attitude which would be negated by harm done to a fellow creature. This is 'reverence for life. 'It follows that equal regard be paid to the welfare of every single man, woman and child, and equal, effective and maximum opportunities of self-realisation be placed within each of all. In international affairs, the only alternative to non-inviolence is non-existence. In the social context, war, armament and Machiavellian diplomacy are not isolable phenomena. If disputes are settled on the plane of force, it is because our social life has been moving on the corresponding planes of hatred, frustration and exploitation. Non-violence is not utopian but most relevant to us. However, non-violence to be practical must aim at a wholesale tansformation in the internal government of state as well as their mutual contacts to revision of social and economic arrangements. All institutional reorganisations require a virtue, a morality in harmony with it. Even science that violates the rhythm of nature are
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