Jain Journal 1974 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 97

APRIL, 1974
235
religions is still religion and what is no more a religion, and to fix the moments of the religious development in general. Together with these main efforts, many other questions must be replied to, and many investigations made, in order to facilitate getting to the highest goal.
One of the most important questions is to fix the limits of religions, or plainly said, to ascertain what is still a religion, not only in the ascendant direction, but also in the descendant direction.
In regard to the descendant direction, we are now sure that there is at least in the historical times-no human race without any religion, and it is only to be fixed, which is the lowest one. This task has been already done by an English professor, viz., R. R. Marrett in a most satisfactory manner. According to him the minimum of religion is represented by the ideas of the Australian aborigines which are expressed in the two terms, viz., tabu and manna. The first of which is an idea of religious discipline in bulk, whilst manna is representing the spiritual power and witchcraft together.
Much more difficult is to find out the upper limit of the religious ideas. There are several religions, which claim to be the highest ones. The loftiness and the sublimity of the religious ideas have, however, nothing to do with the limit ; not to say, that it is at all very difficult, if not quite impossible, to decide, which is the highest religion at all. At least it is my opinion, that there are several steps in the religious development, corresponding to the steps in the development of the human culture in general, which must be considered as equivalent. But the limit of religion shows us or should show us, how far the development of religious ideas can proceed, without losing the character of religion at all.
In order to examine the matter we must have a look into the history of religions in general. We do not need to consider the whole of the
4
In the essay 'Taboo Manna as a Minimum Formula of Religion' in the Archiv fur Religionswissenschaft, XII, 1909, pp. 186 ff. Tabu (also written taboo) signifies, according to the notions of the Australian Negroites and the inhabitants of the Pacific islands, a condition (habitus) of a thing, which excludes it from the profane use. A tabooed thing is one, which is set in such a state by an accident or a purpose, and the use of which is therefore prohibited, except with some precautions. In most of the cases this state is due to the thing being infected with manna, which is recognised by the aborigines as an unknown power, by which are caused such effects, as the primitive man is unable to explain from the natural causes, as far as he knows them. Manna as rendering things tabu is often used for witchcraft.