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Anekanta : Philosophy of co-existence
that the lamp is eternal is not an illusory perspective but element. With the acceptance of the co-existence of opposing pairs, Jain philosophy has acquired a holistic perspective. It does not look at any stream of thought as false but as relative truth. All thoughts are modes and modes cannot be absolute truths. Only the fundamental substances can be absolute truths. Jain philosophy does not negate materialistic philosophy but alongside, also accepts spiritualistic philosophy. When the two philosophies come together it becomes Jain philosophy. Once I was reading Acharya Kundakund's 'Samaysar'. As I was totally drowned in Naischyik naya I began to wonder if I too had become monistic. Truly I had begun to believe that in comparison to dualism, monism was more noteworthy. My dual vision was blinded. As we go along the path of nondualism we reach a point where there is only existence. Existence has no differentiation. Only modes are different. In Jain epistemology we have two terms – Darshan or intuition which is only perceiving the object in general and Gyan or cognition which is comprehension of an object in particular. I could experience only the non-dual as the real. Intuition is always bereft of differences. It only perceives the object as a substance; therefore there cannot be any differentiation in its comprehension. Only the general remains, not the particular. When I used my Gyan I saw the modes. The moment I began to know the modes I became a believer in dualism. Every mode has a definite form and knowledge seeks to identify
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