ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 130

Reason the check-post of Blind Faith According to Jain thinkers, reason and faith are complementary and actually and there is no contention between the two. In Uttarādhyayana-sūtra, the chief disciple of Mahāvīra, strongly supports this view before Keśī, the pontiff of the church of Jina Pārśva. He said 'the difference in the law must be critically analyzed through the faculty of reasoning-pannā samikkhaye dhammań. 13 It is the reason which can ascertain the truth of law. If one maintains that religion has to be solely based on faith and there is no place for reason in it, he will unfailingly develop an outlook that only his prophet, religion and scriptures are true and other's prophet, religion and scriptures are false. Haribhadra, in his Lokatattva-nirnaya beautifully puts the Jainism's view and says:
pakşapāto na me vīre na dveşa kapilādişul yuktimadvacanam yasya tasya kārya parigraha 14
"I possess no bias for Lord Mahāvīra and no prejudice against Kapila and other saints and thinkers. Whosoever is rational and logical ought to be respected".
Anekāntavāda (Non-absolutism), the basis of tolerance Dogamatism and fanaticism are the born children of absolutism. An absolutist holds that whatsoever he says is true and what other say is false, while a non-absolutist is of the view that he and his opponent both may be correct if viewed from two different angles. Jainism holds that reality is a complex one.15 It can be viewed from different angles and thus various judgments may be made about it. Claiming superiority or talking of only one aspect of the thing, is the biggest hurdle in the realization of Truth. Even as a judge will not pass a hasty sentence without hearing the arguments of a culprit, thinkers and lovers of truth, who had taken pains to study the tenets of other religions, will never display hatred or prejudice but will certainly pay regards to all views. Sūtrakstānga strongly condemns those who praise their own faith and views and discard those of their opponents- sayaṁ sayaṁ pasaṁsantā garahantā paraṁ vayaṁ 16 Siddhasena Divākara says, 'all schools of thought are valid when they are understood from their own standpoints and so far as they do not discard the
13 Uttaradhyayana-sutra XXIII.25 14 Lokatattva-nirnaya, Haribhadra, Jaina Grantha Prakashak Sabha, Ahmedabad, Vikrama Samvat 1964, verse 38 15 Puruşarthasiddhyupāya by Amrtacandra, verse, 26 16 Sūtrakrtanga, 1/1/2/23
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