Book Title: Anekanta Philosophy of Co existence
Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

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Page 149
________________ 134 Anekanta : Philosophy of co-existence Tatvarthasutra. But a text earlier to it by five or six ceturies did not reach the scholars. If it had reached the scholars this thinking would have not arisen. Both Jain philosophy and Sankhya philosophy are dualistic and yet they have some fundamental differences. Sankhya philosophy believes that all creation is facilitated by Prakriti. The main cause of creation is Prakriti and because of Prakriti all creation has taken place. Jain philosophy has defined creation as the coordinate action of both the sentient and the insentient. According to it only the soul or only pudgal cannot make things happen. Only their coordinated action makes creation. Jain perspective of the universe Philosopher-saints have explained the world in many ways. According to Sankaracharya, the apparent world is not real. The question then is, what is this world? The answer is that it is Maya or illusion. It is an experience of the unawakened state. You dreamt of a lion and got scared. When you come to the awakened state, this fear vanished. The lion of the sleeping state is not the lion of the awakened state. In the awakened state the lion of the sleeping state has no validity. The visible world is Vyavaharik truth that is empirical truth, not transcendental truth. That which we are seeing in our awakened state and think is real, that will also turn into an illusion when we reach the state of Brahma, just like the dream dies on awakening. This way Shankara explained the world as lying between two truths, the Vyavahar or empirical truth and the Paramarth truth or the transcendental truth. Jain Education International For Personal & Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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