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concentration. It then attains Omniscience and called the 'Jina' or the Victor. Omniscience consists in infinite, all-embracing, and exact knowledge of all substances and their infinite modes. After acquiring Omniscience, the 'Jina' spends the rest of His life, till He attains liberation, in the propagation of the True Religion, beneficial to all. He does this to enable others to know the Truth and reach the summum bonum of life and attain the same level of spiritual perfection which He Himself has attained. Our Holy Scriptures are truly the words of the ‘Jina'. Jainism, therefore, is an exact and scientific religion.
स त्वमेवासि निर्दोषो युक्तिशास्त्राविरोधिवाक् । अविरोधो यदिष्टं ते प्रसिद्धेन न बाध्यते ॥6॥
Acārya Samantabhadra's Apta-Mimāmsā
Only you, whose words are unopposed to logic and the Scriptures, are free from all faults because what is your desire is not opposed to proof.
Jainism does not demand blind faith from its followers. It encourages them to employ the intellect in order to understand and appreciate its teachings. To overcome doubts and misgivings about what has been said in the Holy Scriptures, Jainism employs that infallible searchlight called anekānta. If anyone wishes to get hold of the whole truth, he must first put himself in different attitudes to study things from all possible points of view. This approach gives one the many-sided, and, therefore, necessarily true, understanding of things.
Vijay K. Jain has translated into English, with authentic explanatory notes, one of the finest classical Jaina texts Dravyasamgraha, composed by His Holiness Acārya Nemichandra Siddhānta Cakravarti (c. 10th century CE). This precious work would play a vital role in quenching the thirst for Truth of scholars as well as learners, and help them in understanding the tenets of Jainism.
I highly appreciate your work and convey my auspicious blessings to you.
April 2013, New Delhi
341.4124 1g diata Ācārya Vidyanand Muni
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