________________
8. The Jain Philosophy
And Its Two Schools Of Thought
Among Indian philosophies the Jain philosophy holds a position of importance. When Mahavira revived the Jain philosophy, sacrificial rites, animal sacrifices and practices of offering oblations into the sacrificial fire, prevailed everywhere. The Jain philosophy was based on the principle of ahimsă (non-violence). The Buddhist philosphy, which was its co-nascent and contemporaneous, was also based on the principle of ahińså. In the course of time the principle of nonviolence lost ground in the Buddhist philosophy. But it kept its ground in the Jain philosophy.
Generally speaking, every philosophy except the charvak philosophy believes in the principle of soul and in the initial stage it believed in the principle of ahimsa. But in the process of time ahimsa was replaced by himsá in all those philosophies and the practice of offering oblations in sacrificial rites began.
Among Indian philosophies there is a school of thought which believes that all the relations in this world (sassar) are fake. 'Brahma exist, the world is fake.' Nobody is anyone's own. All have come alone and have to go alone. There is another school of thought which says that you should do to others as you do to yourself. All are yours and you are of all. As you are, so are others. What you do not like, others also do not like. What you like, others also like. You should, therefore, do to others, what you would like to be done to you and never to do to others, what you would not like to be done to yourself.
This school of thought makes a man introvert, solitary and averse to samsar (world). It shows the transcience of samsar and helplessness of all living beings. There are people who believe that according to this school of thought a man's relations with Saṁsár end with his death. When a man becomes exclusively fanatical
