Facets of Jaina Religiousness in Comparative Light

Author(s): L M Joshi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 47

JAINA CONCEPTION OF THE HOLY PENTAD
III. I. INTRODUCTION : JAINA FAITH
The themes of soteriological reflection, discussed in the preceding pages, represent one major facet of the ascetic spirituality revealed and propagated by munis and śramaņas. In the following pages we shall endeavour to elucidate another major facet of the Jaina form of religiousness, namely, the conception of five classes of holy beings. The twelve themes of soteriological reflection offer a stern philosophy of renunciation, while the theory of the holy pentad has functioned as the foundation of faith and centre of devotion in Jaina community. Before we discuss the meaning and significance of the holy pentad, we may briefly review the nature of this 'faith' which the Western writers have called 'Jainism' and which the Jainas themselves call 'Dharma'.
Like Buddhism, Jainism is also an atheistic or non-theistic system of religious faith and philosophy. Without acknowledging the existence of God as the creator and governor of the universe, Buddhism and Jainism have inspired a great deal of religiousness in the history of mankind. The history of these religious traditions has eminently shown that a theistic vision of the ultimate truth is not the only one, and that the usual meaning of the word 'religion' is quite inadequate. This has been indeed acknowledged already hy some celebrated scholars of Religionswissenschaft. Professor Wilfred Cantwell Smith has even proposed that the use of the word 'religion' should be discontinued because the term 'religion' is confusing, unnecessary, and distorting " He also makes a clear distinction between religious 'faith' of a person and the 'cumulative tradition to which he may belong. In his more recent work, he has offered a detailed and profound analysis of the nature of 'faith' and 'belief'. His views about the nature and function of faith are quite illuminating and insightful. According to him “it is faith that generates the tradition in the first place, and that continues to be its raison d'etre." "Faith is nourished and patterned by the tradition, is formed and in some sense sustained by it-yet faith precedes and transcends the
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See e.g. Emile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, p. 45; Wilfred Cantewell Smith, The Meaning and En:/ of Religion : A New Approach to the Religious Traditions of Mankind, chapter V, pp. 109ff. Ibid., p. 48. Ibil., chapters VI and VIII, 139ff, 1547f.
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