Historical Development Of Jaina Philosophy And Religion

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Z_Jaina_Literature_and_Philosophy_a_Critical_Approach_001936_HR.pdf

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Historical Development of Jaina Philosophy and Religion
true from substantial view-point, while Buddhist view is true from the view-point which is confined to only present mode of an object (Rjusūtra Naya ).
He further remarks that all schools of thought are true when they are understood from their own standpoint and so far as they do not reject the truth- value of others. A non-absolutist does not divide them into the category of true and false. The same spirit is also followed by Haribhadra in his works such as sastravārtāsamuccaya and Şaddarśana- samuccaya. It is only Haribhadra, who in his Şad darśanasamuccaya, presented all the six schools of thought in their true spirit and without condemning them. No other work in the history of Indian philo- sophy has been written till date in such a noble spirit. In this period, Jaina ācāryas tried to syn-thesize the different conflicting views and thus tried to establish harmony and peace in the society. Historical Development of Jaina Metaphysics Astikāya
The doctrine of pañcāstikāya which refers to the five constituents of the universe is regarded as the most original theory of Jainism. There is, of course, no mention of pañcāstikāya in Ācārānga, but it is found in the Parśva chapter of Rşibhāşita (c. 4th B. C. ). This shows that this concept belongs to the tradition of Pärśva (c. 8th B. C.). In the tradition of Mahavira, however, we find its first reference in Bhagavatisutra (about c. 1st B. C.).
In Jaina philosophy the word astikāya means the substance which exists ( asti ) with an extension in the space, i.e., constituent component ( kāya ). In Jaina philosophy jiva, dharma, adharma, ākāśa and pudgala - these five are regarded as astikāyas from the very ancient times, and there is no change in this concept, even today. They can be translated as the living beings (jiva ), Space (akaśa ), Medium of motion and rest (dharma-adharma taken together) and Matter (pudgala ).
Among these five astikāyas, three of them - dharma, adharma and akāśa are thought of as unitary and remaining two - jiva and pudgala as infinite in number. From the c. 3rd-10th A. D. there is no major change in the concept execpt that, with the development of the concept of saddravya (the six-fold theory of substance ), time (kala ) was also accepted as an unextended substance (anastikāya ). The debate whether time can be regarded as an independent substance or not begins with thec. 3rd 4th A. D. or even before the composition of Tattvārthasutra; and the difference of opinion in this regard continues upto the time of Viśeşāvaśyakabhāşya (c. 7th A. D. ). Some of the Jaina philosophers regarded time as an independent substance while the others did not. But subsequently Digambara and Svetāmbara both the traditions synthesized the concept of astikaya and dravya and both of them agreed to accept time asanastikaya, i.e., an independent unextended substance.
The idea of Pancastikaya is, distinctly, an original concept of the Jainas. We do not find it in any other ancient philosophical system, except that in the ancient times astikāya has a broad and general meaning, denoting anything that exists (asti ); but in due course of time there developed a distinction between astikāya and anastikāya and the former was taken to be an extended substance in space. Technically speaking astikāya is a multi-spatial substance ( bahupradesi-dravya ), i.e., a substance which is extended in space. Pañcāstikāya
The Jaina concept of Şaddravya ( theory of six substances ) has developed from this very idea of pañcastikāya by adding time as an independent substance in the earlier concept of pañcāstikāya. The concept of Şaddravya came into existence during the c. 1st-2nd A. D. Thus the concept of pañcāstikāya is definitely a very old concept because we find its reference in the Pārśva chapter of Isibhāsiyaim, one