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Jain Concept of Living
Dr. J. D. Bhomaj
तस्मादर्हति पूजामहन्नेवोत्तमोत्तमो लोके। देवर्षिनरेन्द्रेभ्यः पूज्येभ्योऽप्यन्यसत्त्वानाम् ।।
Prelude
Whenever something is claimed to be super-excellent and different, its supernal quality must be proved and distinguished from the rest the different and sole expects to be experienced. The separate ingradients must be fully convinced by realistic science. Mere belief or the supersticious creed is of no avail. Even holding the commonly accepted or established faith in the religious system or confirmed as represented in the acumenical creed, having so-called world-wide scope, cannot be justified, realised and convinced by all. Even the theological discourse, culminating in a synthesis or philosophy of worship may not by existing in real sense. Also the share Testimony brought fourth from whatever high source, is not accepted or embrased as such, when it remains outside the measuring and knowing power of the human knower.
Formal or so-called pure logic does not withstand actually. There cannot be any formal system to know the phenomena. Whatever remains beyond the scope of knowledge ultimate, is null and void. Pure knowledge does encompass everything, visible or invisible, inward or outward, finite or infinite, organic or inorganic, physical or mental, space or time, perpetual or perishable, transient or permanent, static or kinetic, stagnant or dynamic, atom or mass, virus or giant, might or meek, pervading or shrinking, grasped by senses or not, having from or not, tangent or intangent, having taste, smell, colour or not. As the knowledge knows everything in existance, every existant must be known by the knower. Under ontology and epistemology whatever is not knowable, is not the existing reality at all. So all the existing things are necessarily knowable and known by the knower.
Jain Schooling
Accordingly, all the REALITY is knowable under the Jain concept. Jains, the followers of the Omniscient-Jinas, do not rely upon anything like the so-called Creator or The Father-God of the heavens, or The Supreme Soul, nor wait for the favour of the Angels or Apostles, nor they consider themselves, alongwith the rest of things and beings, as the part and parcel of the supposed God-Supreme. Inspite of this, they are not heterodox nor atheist. On the other hand, they do have their own ontology of Religion and Theism, Doctrine of purity of souls, concept of mundane creatures and the school to cognize other phenomena in the universe.
Thus, it is clear that they know all the Realities in their own way. They do not rely upon anything supposed or sponsored by others. They themselves perceive, understand, think, consider, experience and know everything in the universe. They have established their own way of scrupulous scrutiny. It is their firm conviction that the Soul is the Supreme knower and knowable too. Knowledge is the fundamental virtue, attributed to soul. Anything cannot be known unless the knower knows himself first. Any
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