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Essence of Jainism
of expression; difference in culture creates greater mutual conflict. Material of difference and contradiction reveals itself on its own through all truthful people whose vision is perfect or imperfect. Very often other peopl: create such material on their behalf.
View of non-absolutism discovered by Bhagavān Mahāvīra and its conditions
Looking to this state of affairs, Bhagavān Mahāvira thought of the possibility of finding a way by which there will be no injustice to the persons who view truth in perfect or imperfect form. What is the way of doing justice in case of both -of persons whose vision might be imperfect as also opposed to ours and still true, and ones own vision might be imperfect as also opposed to that of otbers and still true ? This austerity, dominated by meditation brought to the mind of Bhagavān Mahāvīra, the vision of nonabsolutism and bis determination to find out truth succeeded. With the help of this key of vision of non-absolutism, he opened the lock of this-worldly and other-worldly problems individual and community life and obtained a conviction. As he did this, and shaped thought and conduct useful in life, he revealed the vision of non-absolutism and enlightened us about it under these condi. tions. He set an example by following these in his own life and preached these conditions. They are as follows : (i) One should not submit himself to the psychic effects born of
attachment and jealousy. This would mean the adoption of
the lustrous feeling of being non-attached. (ii) Let one keep ones self attentive on desire to know truth and
that only till this impartiality is not fully developed. (iii) Let one not be frightened by any apparent opponent and respect.
ponder over the opponent like ones own self and become a strict critic of ones own view as of that of the opponent. (iv) One should practise liberality to bring about a discriminative
co-ordination of all the elements that one finds to be true from ones own experiences or those of others. It is necessary also to discard cnes false pride, correct himself and progress on those lines when one finds tbat he was mistaken on a certain point.
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