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GENERAL SURVEY AND CONCLUSIONS
involved in studying the stand-points of others. As for our own satisfaction, we have the highest guarantee in the agreement between (i) science, (ii) reason, and (iii) testimony; and, as stated in the second lecture, where these three combinedly agreed on any point, the matter was put absolutely beyond doubt and dispute for ever. We have before us (i) the truth as taught by the Perfect Ones, the Trithainkaras, who attained to Godhood with its aid [Testimony of Gods]; (ii) the confirmation of the Word of Law by a scientific study of nature [Science] ; (iii) the agreement of reason after the most searching enquiry [Logic]; and the most important of all (iv) actual corroboration furnished by every other ancient religion without a single exception, showing, in the clearest possible manner, the concurrence of the entire Human race in the past as to the reality and practi. cability of the method. The next question is, why are there no Omniscient Teachers to-day amongst us to settlé our disputes? The reply is that these are very bad times, with worse to come in the future. The humanity of this age is not qualified for practising asceticism, You cannot have omniscience except as the culmina. tion of a very high order of asceticism. Hence, when you have no true ascetics, you can have no omniscient Teachers either. Tbese are, indeed, very bad times that we are passing through, None of the residents of our part of the world can obtain inoksha in this age from this region. Worse times are to come. The whole of this evil period is of 42,000 years of which about
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