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has been shown very clearly by H. Jacobi in his paper on The Metaphysics and Ethics of the Jainas."114 Regarding the problem of Being the three hold different opinions. The Vedāntins consider that underlying and upholding from within all things there is one absolute permanent Being, without change and with none other like it. On the contrary the Buddhists hold that all things are transitory. The Jainas, however, contend that Being is joined to production, continuation, destruction and they call their theory of multiple view points (anekāntavāda), in contradistinction to the theory of permanency (nityavāda) of the Vedantins, and to the theory of transitoriness (vināšavāda) of the Buddhists. The Jainas think that the existing things are permanent only as regards their substance, but their accidents or qualities originate and perish. The significance of this Jaipa theory of Being comes out more clearly when it is regarded in relation to the doctrines of Syādıāda and of the Nayas.115 According to the doctrine of Syādvāda any proposition about an existing thing must, somehow, reflect the manysidedness of Being, i. e., any metaphysical proposition is right from one point of view, and the contrary proposition is also right from another. The Nayas are ways of expressing the nature of things; all these ways of judgement are, according to the Jainas, one-sided, and they contain but a part of truth. The doctrine of the Nayas is, thus, the logical complement toʻthe Syādvāda which is an outcome of the theory of the manysidedness of Being. From this Jacobi affirms that the Jaina theory of Being is an indication of the commonsense view.
As the Jainas have evolved a philosopby of their own, they follow a distinct ethical code based on their philosophy. The Jaina ethics stands as a class by itself in the sense that it is the only system which is founded on the main principle of Ahimsā. It has already been noted how the principle of Ahimsā forms the basis of various rules of conduct prescribed for both the Jaina laymen and ascetics.116 Thus one of the significant contributions of the Jainas is the Ahimsā culture. If the Jainas are known for anything it is for the evolution of Ahimsā culture and it must be said to the credit of the Jainas that they practiced and propagated that culture from ancient times. The antiquity and continuity of Ahiisā culture is mainly due to the incessant efforts of the Jaina Achāryas. Naturally wherever the Jainas were in great numbers
