________________
perspective. Only a person with vision can tell the truth - a whole elephant. If we understand Anekant, we are prepared for two important things:
i.
ii.
JAINISM AND SCIENCE-AN OVERVIEW/33
We shall readily accept other's view point as we know that ours' is only a partial truth.
We shall prepare ourselves to know the entire truth (right-knowledge or Keval-gyan) through the path of Jain philosophy of right-vision and right-conduct.
Another novel concept of Jain philosophy is non-possession also referred to as non-accumulation of property. Lord Mahavira not only relinquished his royal surroundings but even his clothes. That was an unparalleled example of declaring possessions as sin. Jainism, therefore, stresses on minimizing the possessions if not completely abandoning. Social equality, which is eluding the present world, will no more remain a dream but will be a reality if the principle of non-possession is adopted by the societies.
3. Jain Science
We consider Elbert Einstein as the greatest scientist of the modern world. Ironically, he never carried out any experiment himself. Lord Mahavira, going by the concepts contained in the Jain literature was a super-scientist of His era. He never visited any physical laboratory, His mind was the only workshop and meditation was the only tool.
Jain Education International
Eternal happiness and peace of an individual had been the goal of almost all religions. Jain religion too, has a similar objective, yet it is pole apart from others in a way that it emphasises not only on spiritual discovery but also on scientific exploration of universe in general. Scientist today, are still ill at ease to establish the mass-less behaviour of photons, gravitons and gluons, whereas the mass-less characteristics of micro-pudgals are well established in the Jain texts. Detailed mentions of matter, mass-less particles, energy, time, speed and mathematics in various Jain treatises are voluminous and need trifurcation to comprehend better -
O Science & Universe
O Science & Philosophy
O Science & Sociology
Maxims and postulates of Jainism in these three areas bear striking similarity to the concepts of modern science, at the same time they differ prominently and go beyond.
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
