Gems of Jainism

Author(s): Hemant Shah
Publisher: Academy of Philosophy

Page 74

Reason and Faith in Jainism
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higher or superior. In fact, in Jainism, both reason and faith enjoy equal importance and equal significance. It will not be wrong to say that the secular spirit of Jain religion and thought; and the concept of polluted soul to be purified to attain salvation through highly moral and ethical system poses before us a unique unity of reason and faith. Jainism brings about both the rational understanding and the spiritual realization. CONCLUSION:
In our final conclusion we will say that both reason and faith are considered in Jainism as ways to attain the salvation, as both are required for spiritual progress. Again, unlike some schools, Jainism does not consider reason to be inferior and faith to be superior. According to Jainism both are fundamentally and inevitably, required for better understanding and higher spirituality.It will not be wrong to say that in Jainism we find the rational grows into the faith, which is far above everything. The reason and faith, thus is Jainism enjoy equal status and always remain as an intrinsic element of one who follows it. Moreover, the rationalism of Jainism does not close the doors to save knowledge by wisely accepting intuition as a source of valid knowledge. For such a highly rational system, scientific support to intuitively certain metaphysical truths, is nothing more than an additional confirmation. Jainism's 'Reason' is not "lower or uncritical rationality” because the development of critical rationality resulting in morality and spirituality -resulting into Faith, is at the core of Jain religion and philosophy.