Gems of Jainism

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

Page 88

Values in Jainism for the Modern World
relevant even today and bear special significance for the spiritual advancement of mankind. His message is full of pragmatic optimism, self reliance, and self purification to develop inherent and infinite potentialities of human self”26
About values:
In order to understand Jain values for Modern world, we need to understand all about 'value' - what is a value? What are the types or kinds of value? What is the role of values in our life ? Jaina values and their relevance and influence on our life. Ofcourse, we need to know the Modern world also. But first let us see what does value mean. To begin with, the term value means that which is intrinsically valuable in itself unlike things a product which gain value only through exchange. In Indian philosophy and religions, in tradition and culture, the value is expressed in terms of Truth (Satyam), Goodness or Love (Shivam) and Beauty (Sundaram). All the values are derived from these three basic values.
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There is hardly any need to talk about the role of values in life. We are all aware of it. In fact "they provide a framework, a guide, the rails for purposeful, quick and efficient movement through life. They give a reason to live, if needed a reason to die"27 Moreover values have their sources in culture and are rooted in it. Values are, thus, the constituent elements of life and living, and are the basic characteristics of human society.
Values have a very significant role. They do not merely govern or guide but provide a direction to go towards, a reason to srive to, a goal and purpose to be attained and to be fulfilled. The value determine the activity, which in result determine the character of a Nation, Society or an Individual. Values influence a person or people; values give meaning to life; values provide movement to life; values lead "from death to immortality" as it is said in Upanishad.
Values, such as we talked, could be National values, social values or Human values. The Report of the National (Indian) Commission on Teachers identifies as many as eighty different