Jainism in a Global Perspective - Collection of Jain papers of 1993 Parliament of World Religions, Chicago

SR No.: 014010
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sagarmal Jain, Shreeprakash Pandey
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 402
Language: English
Classification: Seminar & Articles
File Size: 23 MB

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Jainism in a Global Perspective
and for Kapila shows his generosity and deference to other religious leaders. Haribhadra's crusade against sectarianism is unique and admirable in the history of world-religions.
Alongwith these literary evidences there are some epigraphical evidences of religious tolerance of the Jainas also. Some Jaina ācāryas such as Rāmkirti and Jaymangalasūri wrote the hymns in the praise of Tokalji and goddess Camunda.40 Jaina kings such as Kumārpāla, Visnuvardhana and others constructed the temples of Śiva and Vişnu alsong with the temple of Jina11.
Finally, I would like to mention that Jainism has a sound philosophical foundation for religious tolerance and throughout the age, it practically never indulged in aggressive wars in the name of religion nor did they invoke divine sanction for cruelities against the people of alien faiths. They have always believed in religious harmony and fellowship of faiths.
Though generally Jainas do classify religions in the heretic view (mithya-dṛṣṭi) and non-heretic view (samyak-dṛsti) yet, mithya-dṛṣṭi, according to them, is one who possesses one-sided view and considers others as totally false, while samyak-drsti is the one who is unprejudiced and sees the truth in his opponents views also. It is interesting to note here that Jainism calls itself a union of heretic views, (micchādamsanasamūha). Siddhasena (5th cent. A.D.) mentions "Be glorious the teachings of Jina which are the union of all the heretic views i.e. the organic synthesis of one sided and partial views, essence of spiritual nectar and easily graspable to the aspirants of emancipation."
Anandaghana, a mystic Jaina saint of the 17th cent. A.D. remarks that just as ocean includes all the rivers so does Jainism all other faiths. Further, he beautifully expounds that all the six heretic schools are the organs of Jina and one who worships Jina also worships them.43 Historically we also find that various deities of other sects are adopted in Jainism and wrshipped by the Jainas. Acarya Somadeva in his work Yasastilak-campū remarks that where there is no distortion from right faith and accepted vows, one follow the tradition prevailing in the country."
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As we have already said that Jainas believe in the unity of world religions, but unity, according to them, does not imply omnivorous unity