Anekanta Philosophy of Co existence

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

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3. Philosophical Exposition of Jainism
Since time immemorial the question - "What is truth?" is being asked and debated vehemently. We see an earthen pot. Its shape is a physical element for some time, but some other day by accident or wear and tear it turns itself into soil of the mother earth. Now, what is the true state of it, which is the everlasting state of it - pot or clay? Jain philosophers have resolved this issue by suggesting that we look at each of the two statęs not in a fragmented way but as an integrated whole, which is possible only through Anekānta i.e., a multi-faceted point of view. There are two ways to look at a thing – (A) Dravyarthika or substantial (describing a thing only with respect to its ultimate substance) and (B) Paryāyārthika or modal (description based on modifications or change of modes). In other words, the two are called 'Niścaya-drşți' (transcendental view) and 'Vyavahāra- dṛṣṭi' (empirical view) respectively. When we correlate both views, we find that in both states, i.e., pot and soil, the 'paramānu', which is the ultimate indivisible unit of the physical substance, remains intact while the change takes place in the form only. The Jain philosophy believes that the 'pudgala' i.e., the physical substance, which is the substratum of all physical objects, would always remain 'pudgala' since no change in the substance itself would be possible. However, the process of transforming which goes on every moment in any substance enables it to take different forms.
The basic element in the matter and its changing states both remain and work in unison. Both co-exist. The former is