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INFLUENCE OF JAINISM
165 A non-believer cannot be a Sramana though endowed with penance and scriptural knowledge. The meritless who demand respect from the meretorious wander long in this limitless Samsar. Men of merit should not humiliate themselves meanly in the company of the demerited.
In order to maintain Samyama intercourse with common people should be abandoned, otherwise one is sure to fall off from the spirit of asceticism though keeping up the form. An ascetic should always dwell with an equal or with a superior.
False comprehension of reality brings endless transmigration. Proper discipline accompanied with Faith and peace leads one to salvation. Pure are they who know well the reality and who have given up all attachments. The pure one is a Sramana, of him are faith and knowledge ; he alone attains Nirvana ; he is perfect : Bow unto him.*
Influence of Jainism on Mahometanism.
Dr. Helmuth von Glasenapp writes as follows in his article on " Jainism, its historical importance and its relations to other religions of the world" contributed to "The Calculta Review" May, 1929.
"Possibly the influence of Jainism on Mahometanism went further. Baron Kremer has told us in an exhaustive essay on the Arabian poet and philosopher, Abu-l-'Ala (973-1058), generally called after his native town of Maarrat an Numan Abu-l-Ala al Ma'rri. He has evolved his peculiar ethical teaching perhaps under Jaina influence. The strange, quite un-Mahometan way of life of this manis described by Kremer as follows : "Abu-l-Ala only lived on a vegetable diet and he also refused milk, because he regarded it as sinful to take away their mother's milk from young animals, he would have gone without nourishment altogether, if he could have done it, even honey he would not eat because he thought it wrong to rob the bees of their honey,
* In some portions of the summary, for some words and phrases I am indebted to late Dr. Bhandarakar's translation of some of the
gathas of Pravachanasara. (Reports for 1883-84.) Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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