Ahimsa and Jainism

Author(s): Vijayvallabhsuri
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi

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METHOD OF SYNTHESIS A study of Anekanta is essential to understand and estimate the true value and reality underlying the world's religions. Jainism offers the key to the hidden realms of truth in various systems of thought, and an instrument for world peace and unity.
Once, some people approached Lord Mahavira (called Nigantha Nataputta by the Buddhists and styled in the Tripitaka as an omniscient conteniporary of the Buddha ) when he was staying on Mt. Vipula at Rajagriha and questioned bin on the utility of religious discussion. The Lord replied that religious discussions were always welcome provided they were carried on in a friendly spirit in order to realise the truth. It was bad to strive for the glory of one's religion and to try to belittle the religions of others. Those who did so never realised the truth. The best method of discussion, said Lord Mahavira, was to consider a problem in its three aspects, viz., (1) Sva-samayavaktavyata-to establish one's own viewpoint; (2) para-samaya-vaktavyata-to establish the opposite viewpoint; and (3) tadubhaya-vaktavyata-to synthesise and establish the viewpoints of both.
To illustrate the usefulness of the deetrine, one may take as an example the question of the