Book Title: Jaina Ontology
Author(s): K K Dixit
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Previous | Next

Page 155
________________ 142 JAINA ONTOLOGY might be called the co-presence of the opposites'. For example, it led them to examine how a thing is both permanent and transient, how it is both general and particular, how it is both describable and indescribable -- the three enquiries which Haribhadra respectively undertakes in the second, third and fourth chapters of Anekāntajayapatākā. And these are just three instances for the different authors sought to apply the doctrine in question in different fields and thus enriched it to the extent of their capacity. Not everything that was said in this connection was a profound truth but there is little doubt about the basic soundness of the general approach adopted by the Jainas. For certainly, the idea of the co-presence of the opposites is a higbly productive idea in the field of all theoretical research. (ii) A General Evaluation of the Non.Jaina Philosophical views In view of what has already been said the fifth chapter of Anekānta. jayapatākā alone deserves to be examined under the present head. For the sixth chapter mostly undertakes a refutation of kşanikavāda and so can be treated as a continuation of the refutation of the same undertaken in the . second chapter. The subject-matter of the fifth chapter is a refutation of Vijñanavāda. Here Haribhadra first meets the objection raised by the rival against the existence of atoms and the composite budies made up of them. In this connection we are enabled to see how the Jaina notions of an atom and a composite body differ from the corresponding Nyāya -Vaiseșika notions. Having finished this enquiry Haribhadra undertakes an elaborate refu. tation of the Vijñānavadins' own world-outlook, that is, idealism. (B) AKALANKA (i) Defence of the Traditional Jaida pbilosophical views : Akalanka occupies a very iinportant place among the authors belonging to the age of Logic. As a matter of fact, in a way it was he who was really responsible for the full-fledged advent of this age in the history of Jaina philosophical speculation. For he was the first to have a clear awareness of the rather exacting requirements presented by it. In this age a Jaina author was expected to be well conversant with the contemporary system of Indian philosophy and be in a position to evaluate them, particularly from the standpoint of Anekantavāda. To a greater or lesser extent this was the case with Akalanka's predecessors belonging to this age and Haribhadra had come very near accomplishing what Akalanka in fact did. For Haribhadra did evaluate, particularly from the standpoint of Anekantavada, the contemporary pon Jaina systems, particularly the Buddhist. But Haribhadra did not realize the significance of the Jainas having their own doctrine of pramānas that might rival those of Buddhism, Nyāya-Vaišeşika, Mimāṁsakas, etc. And for an author living in the age Haribhadra did this meant a less Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222