Illuminator of Jaina Tenets

Author(s): Tulsi Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 15

INTRODUCTION
The Jaina-siddhānta-dīpikā is a concise treatise composed in sutras with a brief auto-commentary It is a lucid exposition of some of the essential tenets of Jaina philosophy. It is suitable for a beginner as well as an advanced student of Jainism. The basic tenets of Jaina ontology, epistemology and ethics have been expounded comprehensively and critically, throwing light on the features that distinguish them from similar concepts in other branches of Indian philosophy. Very valuable notes have been added by Professor Mookerjee at a number of places, which put the Jaina concepts in a comparative perspective.
While editing the book, I had occasions to discuss some fundamental problems of Jaina philosophy with Acaryaśrī and Yuvacāryaśrī and as a result, I selected some issues for further discussion in the Introduction. A brief survey of these issues is attempted below.
1. THE SEVEN TATTVARTHAS
The Jaina doctrine of seven tattvärthas or tattvas (categories of truth) has a prototype in the four arthapadas, namely, heya (the avoidable), heya-nirvartaka (the basic cause of the avoidable), hāna (avoidance), and hānopāya (the way of avoidance), a right knowledge of which was considered as leading to emancipation.1 Even as the medical science has four limbs, namely, roga (disease), roga-hetu (cause of disease), ārogya (cure), and bhaișajya (remedy), the spiritual science too has four parts, namely, saṁsāra (transmigration in the world), samsara-hetu (cause of transmigration), mokṣa (emancipation), and mokṣopāya (the path leading to emancipation). The four arthapadas, asserts Uddyotakara, are expounded by all the ācāryas in all their treatises concerned with the science of spiritualism.3 The famous four noble truths of Buddhism, namely, suffering, cause of suffering, emancipation, and the path leading to emancipation also confirm the universal rule enunciated by Uddyota
1 ND, p. 33.
2 YBh, II. 15.
3 ND, pp. 34-5: etāni catvāry arthapadani sarväsv adhyatmavidyāsu sarvācāryair varṇyanta iti. Also see ND, p. 11,