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Anekanta : A Tolerant Attitude -
Relativity is the main principle of theory of Anekanta. Anekanta replaces with relativity in thinking. Once we acqurire this attitude, we can never be intolerant to other's viewpoints. The mantra of the formation of new world is 'You and I, both have to live together'.19 Either you or I live is the way of violence, restlessness and misery. The doctrine of anekantavada helps us in cultivating a tolerant attitude towards the views of our adersaries. It does not stop there but takes us a step aorward by making us investigate why and how they hold different views and how the seeming contradictions can be reconciled to evolve harmony. This anekantika outlook also has a great intellectual appeal. Post modernism strongly contends that every field of ideas is a field of contending forces. Leotard, a French philosopher succinctly puts it and says, 'a postmodern condition refines our sensibility to difference and reinforces our ability to tolerate the incommensurable"20
Thus three principles of Anekanta called - Co-existence, Relativity and Reconciliation, if accepted and applied can resolve all Iconflicts and bring peace and harmony in disconsolate world. Modern judicial systems, democracy, freedom of speech, and secularism all implicitly reflect an attitude of anekantavada. many authors have claimed that the Jain tradition, with its emphasis on ahimsa and anekantavada, is capable of solving religious intolerance, terrosrism wars, the depletion of natural resources, environmental degradation and many other problems. Referring to the 9/11 tragedy, John Koller believes that violence in society mainly exists due to faulty epistemology and metaphysices as well as faulty ethics. According to Koller, because anekantavada is designed to avoid one-sided errors, reconcile contradictory viewpoints, and accept the multiplicity and relativity of truth, the Jain philosophy is in a unique position to support dialogue and negotiations amongst various nations and peoples.21
Saluting to the concept of Anekanta Jain Acarya Siddasena says.22
Jena vina logassa vavaharo savvaha na nivvadai
Tasya bhuvanekkaguruno, namo anegntavayassa
Explaining the above verse, Acarya Mahaprajna says23. "II salute Anekantavada for without it the world would never happen. Leave alone the pursuit of truth, even day to day transactions of society and family would not be managed without it. Anekanta is within everybody's reach and so it is the teacher of the world, the only teacher and the guide. All truth and interactions governed by it and therefore I salute it."
Social harmony is the deepest source for the universal peace. But this cause will be effective only if people will know how to achieve and develop social harmony. A great scholar Acarya Mahaprajna says, this peace movement should be first started within family. Family is a cell of society. If an individual can live peacefully with a few people, he can possibly adjust with a larger group as well. The main objective of peaceful co-existence in the world is that a nation deals non-viollently with other nations and accepts peaceful co-existence for itself. However, it will be difficult to accept this broad view if a man is unable to maintain peace within his own family.
