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JULY, 1987
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will be the same with the change of these words. For instance, relatively, the pot is eternal (in view of its substance), relatively the pot is not eternal (in view of its changing forms) and so on.
The gist of the seven-fold judgment of the Jaina dialectic is as under:
1. Thesis (positive). 2. Anti-thesis (negative). 3. Aggregate (both positive and negative successively). 4. Synthesis (both positive and negative simultaneously). 5. Thesis and synthesis (positive and both positive and negative
simultaneously). 6. Anti-thesis and synthesis (negative and both positive and negative
simultaneously). Aggregate and synthesis (both positive and negative successively and both positive and negative simultaneously).
Or
1. Existence. 2. Non-existence. 3. Existence and non-existence. 4. Indescribability. 5. Existence and indescribability. 6. Non-existence and indescribability. 7. Existence, non-existence and indescribability.
First of all we take 'existence'. Then we come to 'non-existence'. After it we put both 'existence' and 'non-existence' together successively. Then we put both 'existence' and 'non-existence together simultaneously. We cannot describe both 'existence' and 'non-existence' simultaneously, since our proposition will necessarily have either of the two first. Hence, we call it indescribable. These four propositions are fundamental. When we add the first proposition to the fourth, the fifth proposition is there. Adding the second to the fourth, we derive the sixth one. Similarly, when we add the third proposition to the fourth, we have the seventh form.
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