Doctrine of Jainas

Author(s): Walther Shubring, Wolfgang Beurlen
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 25

A SHORT HISTORY OF JAIN RESEARCH
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almost inexhaustible stock of literature, an activity radiating as far as to the field of Western research This state of affairs can be dated from the first two decades of this century It is truc that it was HOERNLE who, as early as in 1890, could dedicate the first volume of his Uvāsagadasão to VIJAYĀNANDA Sūrı (Anandavijaya=Ātmārāma, 1837-97) in grateful acknowledgment of various suggestions and corrections, though it is equally true that it was VIJAYADHARMA Sūri (1868-1922), never failing to help when being consulted by European scholars?, who proved by far more effective. The renaissance just mentioned with the Svetāmbaras at least is due to his lasting impulse.
For a long time research in Europe and America was known to the Jains to but a certain degree, that is to say, as far as their knowledge of English allowed. Books and articles in German and other Western languages frequently remained beyond their reach. Hence it follows that quite a number of data produced by them are well-known in Western literature. It is evident, therefore, that of all works of JACOBI's (1850-1937) none have come to their knowledge than those written in English. But even this crop harvested on the Jain field by an allround genial indologist was abundant enough for a Jain Conference in 1914 held on the occasion of JACOBI's second stay in India, to bestow upon him the honorary title of Jaina-darśanadivākara. We are thus justified in this historical sketch in reproducing how to him, in several publications, Jainism presented itself in view of its relation to other creeds and systems
$10. On the foregoing pages it has been said already that research started from the similarity observed between
,1 Western acknowledgments and recollections by WINTERNITZ. GUERINOT, BELLONI-FILIPPI and others, AT SUNAWALA. V Dis His Life and Work With a prcfatory notc by F, W THOMAS, Cambridge 1922, the SAME, Adarsha Sadhu, an ideal monk, and cd Cambridge 1934, VIJAYA INDRA Sūri, Reminiscences of V Dh S, Shivpuri 1924
2 Obituary by HY GLASENAPP ZDMG 92, 1-14 , the AUTHOR, Jain Gazette 1937
3 On thc Metaphysics and Ethics of the Jainas (Transact 3rd Congr for the History of Religion 2, p 59-66 , Die Entwicklung der Gottesidec bei den Indern (1933) p 21 ff , Gott Gelehrte Anz 1919, p 16 ff, , Encyclop f. Rcl, and Ethics 7, p 465 ff, , SPAW 1929, p 322 ff , a summary in Forschungen und Fortschritte 6, p 36.