Gems of Jainism

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

Page 80

Values in Jainism for the Modern World
its perennial values the practice of which brings happiness. Explaining the meaning of religion, Encylopaedia says, “men were called religious because they reconsidered carefully and, as it were, went over again in thought all that appertained to the worship of God”. The thinkers and philosophers have tried to explain religion as a personal relationship with God, essentially a belief in God or Gods, a belief in spiritual beings. Religion is a way of life, having worship and prayer as its expression.
One should also know that the main aim of Religion is establishment of unity of all existence. “It is proclaimed that the Reality which is to be realized through religion is the soul of truth, delight of life, the fullness of peace and immortality". Religion aims at unification, at being all-inclusive and coextensive with the whole of life. It means to intensify, vitalize, and enhance every human activity.
We should know that inspite of human beings everywhere, there are fundamental differences between the East and West which are “significant and are related to external, temporary, social conditions and are alterable with them"3. In his very famous book titled “East and West in Religion” Dr. S. Radhakrishnan writes: "The Western mind is rationalistic and ethical, while the Eastern mind is more inclined to inward life and intuitive thinking” 4 We may say that the dominant feature of Eastern thought is in its insistence in creative intuition while the Western systems are characterized by a great adherence to critical intelligence" . Thus we see that the difference is in approach and emphasis, because of which we find in East, religion is more a matter of spiritual culture than scholastic learning. "We learn the truth not by criticism and discussion but by deepening life and changing the level of consciousness. God is not the highest form to be known but the highest being to be realized”
Since I wish to talk more with reference to Jainism, leaving aside some important aspects about the religion and the religions of the world, let us see what has Jainism to say. Ofcourse, I do