Essence of Jainism

Author(s): Sukhlal Sanghavi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 16

[16]
The meaning of non-extremism is this-Keep the doors of thinking open, and you will acquire truth from the thoughts of all. For those who are ipsistent about truth. the false insistence to be given up is — "Only what I believe is truth and wbat others believe in is falshhood." If one does not give up this, he will be doing injustice to others and this too amounts to violence. It is, therefore absolutely necessary for the non-violent to be non-extremist. Therefore, the development of Jaina philosophy lies not in extremism but non-extremism.
The conduct of the way of life of non-violence is precisely Jainism; and the philosophy that results from non-violence is Jain philosophy. In the way of life therefore, the śramaņas who follow Jainism protect gross Jivas and further also the subtle Jivas not visible to the naked eye. This is their spirit of non-violence. A line of so many prescriptions and prohibitions is shaped by the conduct that follows this spirit. Śramaņas try to follow it to the full while the Śrāvakas try to follow it partly.
A spirit of sipcerity does not enter the conduct that is not backed by a philosophy. Every dharma should therefore ponder over the bonds and liberation of the Java, its relation to the world and the form of the world. The entire Jaina philosophy evolved from this inevitability. As stated earlier, one peculiarity of Jaina philosophy is that it is ever anxious to probe into the secret of truth. Ācārya Jinabhadra and others have therefore proclaimed that the Jain philosophy is a philosophy of all philosophies.
Thea Jaina philosophy consists of just two elements : Jiva and Ajiva. The two are expanded into five Astikayas, six substances or seven or nine elements. The Cārvākas took the Ajiva to comprise of five gross elements; the seers of the Upanişads believed only in the Jiva that is Atma-Puruşa-Brhma. These two views are sunthesised as Jįva and Ajiva in Jain philysophy. The mundane world and its bighest attainment that is liberation or bondage and liberation are possible only if Jiva and Ajiva both are there. The Jains therefore proved the logical co-ordination of the existence of Jiva and Ajiva both; and the Sāmkhya philosophy of the