Jain Digest 2014 11

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 21

JAIN DIGEST
Ahimsa: Daya is a positive aspect of ahimsa (non-violence). mere being. In short, being and becoming are complements R. William in his book 'Jaina Yoga' remarks that the central of the full notion of a reality". position and pervading character of ahimsa separates the Jaina ethic sharply from Hinduism as well as from Islam and
He explains the two basic views : The substance Christianity.
view (dravyarthika naya) and the modal view (paryayarthika In his lectures Virchand Gandhi establishes the an- naya). Each view carried to the extreme denies the reality of tiquity of Jainism, describes the nine 'real' which one should the other. Each view then accepts the one at the expense know to attain liberation, enumerates the six substances, of the other. One puts emphasis on the universal and the gives an account of the six kinds of living beings (Jeevas) external aspect to the exclusion of the particular and changand four kinds of existence, treats of transmigration and kar- ing aspect. The Shankara Vedanta represents the extreme ma and also of Jaina ethics.
form of the substance view and Buddhism represents the
absolute modal view. The Jaina system reconciles these two For the Jaina thinkers both the substance and its opposing views by according equal status to the substance modes are real. The one without the other is an impossibil- and it modes. ity. He explains at length the Jaina view of the phenomenal and the noumenal aspects of existence. At this juncture, he
His erudite, spirited and lucid lectures captured the contrasts the Jaina position with that of Kant's.
hearts of the audience. He realized that Americans were ea
ger to know Jaina philosophy. So he stayed in America for He observes: "In brief, the Jaina position is: First, nearly three years. He made it his mission to disseminate that right knowledge is the only test or measure on our part and spread the knowledge of Jaina philosophy. He delivered of the existence of a reality; secondly, that knowledge is al- lectures in important cities like Chicago, Boston, New York, ways the knowledge of relations; thirdly, that reality is never Washington etc. out of relations (a particular reality may not be in physical relation with another reality, it may be in the relationship of
He was cordially received everywhere and his subject and object, knower and known); and fourthly, that the speeches left a very powerful impression upon the minds relations are constantly changing. 'To'be is to be in relation of the American public. Then he left for England. There too
he delivered many lectures at different centres. The credit Virchand Gandhi answers Sankaracharya's criticism of initiating many into the study of Jainism goes to Virchand of Syadvada in the following words : "The inherence of con- Gandhi. He made the American and the English people realtrary aspects in a single idea or object seems impossible to ize the sublimity of Jaina philosophy. the unseen noumenal hectic mind. Sankara, the well-known Vedanta scholar, has fallen into error when he states that the
Gandhi's contribution to Jainism is varied and unJaina doctrine should be accepted, because it is being and forgettable. He interpreted Jainism in its true spirit. He rennon-being should, at the same time, belong to one and the dered yeoman service to Jainism. He died at an early age of same thing, just as observation teaches that a thing cannot 37. Had he lived longer, lovers of Jainism would have gained be hot and cold at the same moment.
even greater benefits from him.
The Jainas do not teach that a thing can be hot and
He also critically evaluates Vedant and Jainism and cold at the same moment, but they do teach that a thing responds to Shankaracharya's criticism of syadvad, and latcannot be hot absolutely, and cannot be cold absolutely; it er enumerates the stages from the theory of Karma to kevis hot under certain definite circumstances, and cold under algyan. While in Chicago for the conference, he met Herbert others. The Jainas do not teach that being and non-being Warren who tried to get acquainted with the Jaina philoso(of itself) should at the same time belong to one and the phy systematically from Virchand Gandhi. After his meeting same thing. What they teach is that in a thing there is being with Virchand Gandhi, Herbert Warren became a votary of of itself and non-being of other things, which means that a Jaina religion and practised its rituals. He also wrote a book thing can be fully known only by knowing what it is and what on Jaina Religion and resolved to gift to the world what he it is not. Shankara, in fact, creates a man of straw, imputes had received from Virchand Gandhi. He had noted down the to him imaginary doctrines and by refuting them, he knocks lectures of Virchand Gandhi in shorthand. He got interested him down. That is his glory."
in the vows (vratas) of a shravak and out of 12 vows (vratas),
he practised 7 vows (vratas) in consonance with his own reVirchand Gandhi observes : "The Jainas, on the ligion. He gave up meat-eating and later brought out a book contrary, consider being and becoming as two different and entitled 'Jainism'. There is a reference to the fact that Jaina complementary ways of our viewing the same thing. Reality sadhus do not have their own abodes and they move from in the Jaina view is a permanent subject of changing states. place to place. Jesus Christ also wandered from one place To be, to stand in relation to, to be active, to act upon other to another and according to Virchand Gandhi, many Christs things, to obey law, to be a cause, to be a permanent subject were born in different countries and that there was not only of states, to be the same to-day as yesterday, to be identical one Christ. in spite of its varying activities - these are the Jaina conceptions of reality. Mere becoming is as much an abstraction as
I AUG- NOV 2014 21