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Therefore, wise men throughout history have known, and tried to explain, that the outer world of human affairs is but a reflection of man's inner state of consciousness.
The point is practically covered while discussing the theory of Nayavad. While Nayavad points to the different aspects and teaches us why and under what circumstances a particular statement or event has come into existence, Syadvad helps us in arriving at the synthesis of all apparently inconsistent statements. This increases our understanding and tolerance.
Etymological meaning of the word "Syad" is "if" or "perhaps". But the Jains have used it to suggest a possibility because every idea or statement has relations with something else, and therefore, likely to be relatively true or false. Therefore, absolute rejection or acceptance thereof without knowing its relativity would lead us to some fallacy. Bertrand Russell rightly observes: "We think of education as the transmission of a certain body of settled knowledge, when it should be rather the development of scientific habit of the mind. The distinctive feature of the unintelligent man is the hastiness and absoluteness of his opinions; the scientist is slow to believe, and never speaks without modification - always ready to concede that it may be wrong."
If we analyze the process of human judgment, we find that it involves two important factors. They are (1) our limited knowledge about different aspects and relationships about an idea or event that we are called upon to judge, and (2) our own subjectiveness of approach as each of us is conditioned differently by our education, environment, and culture.
The first of these two factors relates to the object or idea to be judged, while the second relates to the judge himself. With these two limitations, the conclusion is only relatively true relativity being traced to the above two factors.
Jain Education International 2010_03
Therefore, if someone else comes to a different conclusion regarding the same object or idea, one should not feel disturbed, if he follows the theory of Syadvad, because he knows that the other person might have drawn his conclusion from a different set of circumstances. This type of approach covers the whole gamut of life events and if followed scrupulously, it would surely make us and the whole society happy.
Thus, Anekant approach promises to be a talisman for all evils of life - social as well as individual. Tolerance and understanding it generates is at the very root of thinking process. It leads us to practice Ahimsa in our daily life.
Mr. Tryambaklal U. Mehta is a jurist and retired as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, India. He is a Jain scholar and has written and edited many books and articles on Jain philosophy.
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Mahendra & Deena Mehta Kanwar & Usha Jain Jayantilal & Jyotsna Sanghvi Anil & Meera Desai
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