Introduction to Jainism

Author(s): Rudi Jansma, Sneh Rani Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 73

AHIMSA
71
nayavāda, the theory concerning partial knowledge. Even though there may be different views, none of which represents the whole truth, each of them contains a nucleus of truth. Therefore it is always useful to try to understand the other, because his or her story too contains a core of truth, and thus adds one other angle of approach. To try to fight each other with words (and eventually with weapons) to prove that one is right is a form of violence which is contrary to this philosophy.
All these different approaches used by ordinary people are the result of the workings of their minds. The human mind in its present stage of evolution is by nature divisive because it is unable to grasp the whole. But once we see that this mental activity can never lead us beyond its natural limitations we will understand that we should seek the higher path: the path of renunciation of all illusions or "partial truths,” and direct one's meditation exclusively to that which is beyond. This may take lifetimes, but once we have made the first step, deaths and rebirths cannot hamper us from reaching our goal. We will never again be satisfied with less.
These three approaches to Truth provide refined guidelines on how to work with the human mind within its natural limitations. They form a sound philosophy of cognition. They also gives rise to tolerance and are very beneficial when applied in the fields of science, politics and in daily social intercourse.
Nevertheless the philosophy can also be criticized, because it seems to allow tolerance and respect even for opinions that are completely wrong, or even consciously malicious. In a court of justice, for example, one could never come to a satisfactory conclusion, because no human judge is omniscient. And we see that even the most honest and morally sound efforts to do justice or to build theories in science can later appear to have produced completely wrong results (e.g. the view that the earth is flat). Only karma itself is a completely just operation of the cosmos. Only Truth itself is the right opinion. Therefore Jainism has designed criteria for