Jain Concept of Peace

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Z_Vijyanandsuri_Swargarohan_Shatabdi_Granth_012023.pdf

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opponent both may be correct, if viewed from two different angles and thus a relativist adopts a tolerant outlook towards other faiths and ideologies. It is the doctrine of anekantavada or non-absolutism of the Jainas on which the concept of religious tolerance is based. For the Jainas non-violence is the essence of religion from which the concept of non-absolutism emanates. Absolutism represents "violence of thought".
ates the truth-value of its opponent's view and thus hurts the feeling of others. A non-violent search for truth finds non-absolutism.
Non-absolutism of the Jainas forbids the individual to be dogmatic and one sided in approach. It pleads for a broader outlook and an open mindedness, which alone can resolve the conflicts that emerge from differences in ideologies and faiths. For non-absolutism the views of the opponent are also true. Remarks Siddhasena Divakara (5th Cent. A.D.) "All schools of thought are valid when they are understood from their own standpoint and insofar as they do not discard the truth-value of others, the knower of non-absolutism does not divide them into the category of true and false. They become false only when they reject the truth-value of other". It was this broader outlook of non-absolutism which made Jainas tolerant.
While expounding this tolerant outlook of the Jainas, Upadhyaya Yasovijaya (17th Cent. A.D.) mentioned "A true non- absolutist does not disdain any faith and he treats all the faiths equally like a father to his sons. For, a non-absolutist does not have any prejudiced and biased outlook in his mind. A true believer of syadvada (non-absolutism) is that who pays equal regards to all the faiths. To remain impartial to the various faiths is the essence of being religious. A little knowledge which induces a person to be impartial is more worthwhile than the unilateral vast knowledge of scriptures. 28
.: Jainas believe in the unity of world religions, but unity, according to them, does not imply omnivorous unity in which all lose their entity and identity. They believe in that unity in which all the alien faiths will conjoin each other to form an organic whole, without losing their own independent existence. In other words it believes in a harmonious co-existence or a liberal synthesis in which all the organs have their individual existence, but work for a common goal i.e. the peace of mankind. To eradicate the religious conflicts and violence from the world, some may give a slogan of
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Shri Vijyanand Suri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth