Jain Theism

Author(s): Hemant Shah
Publisher: Hemant Shah

Page 10

FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
I am really very much pleased to write this foreword to the second edition of Dr. Hemant Shah's epoch making book on Jaina Theism. My pleasure is philosophically justified by the fact of ever increasing importance of both Jainism and Theism for bringing cut spiritual revolution for the prosperity and peace of the 21st Century mankind.
Jainism occupies a uniquely singnifincant position among the eleven living religions of the world which are rightly supposed to be the custodians of cternal human wisdom. The universal elements in the Jaina philosophy of Soul, Samisāra and Sadhanā shine like three prominent jewels (ratnatraya) in this enlightening stock of human wisdom
The laina philosophy of Soul teaches that each and every human being is essentially a transcendental sell which is an active substance possessing four infinitudes (ananta Catuslaya) of which the most important is infinite bliss (anantasukha). Any man, irrespective of the distinctions of caste. creed, gender, race, nationality etc., can realize his everblissful self during this very earthly life. The belief in the existence of soul is not just a theological dogma but a fact pointed out by modern science. The discoveries of many years of brain research made by Dr. Wilder Penfield and his associates at the Montreal Neurological Institute, M.Gill University has enabled Dr. Pensield to write : legitimately believe in the existence of the Spirit.” (W. Penfield, The Mystery of Mind-A Critical Study of Consciousness and Human Brain, Princeton University Press, 1975, p. 61).
The Jaina philosophy of Samsāra teaches that this world of many individual souls and multitude of physical objects is morally governed by the law of Karma. Each man is free and responsible for his actions. The soul in Samsāra or the Jiva has to enjoy or suffer the fruits of its actions during its journey through the cycle of Samsāra. During this journey there are many births and deaths of the various gross bodies of an individual Jiva but its subtle body remains the same till the final release from Samsāra through the realization of the transcendental self. We can say that the Jaina belief in the doctrine of rebirth and continuation of the same subtle body gets scienific support