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The Jaina Philosophy depends on the effort of the soul. This idea is to be found in all the philosophies of India. If the idea of life is different and the object is different, then the laws which such a people would establish for their life would also be different.
The Hindus have passed through many stages. There is a stage in which we are always attracted by everything material. The Hindus have passed that stage. There is a stage in which the eye is attracted by anything beautiful and attractive; in fact, in that first Stage, in order to attract the attention of such a person a picture is necessary. Even in advertising the attention of people can sometimes be drawn only by showing pictures.
But further on, when they think that that is done only from a selfish motive, it does not depend only on the sight, the person wishes to hear something, and then he begins to reason. In this country indeed there was a time and anong ordinary people this is still a time when they are attracted by pictures; but the intelligent, thinking people have passed beyond that stage and wish to hear as well as to see something.
This fact is true in this country as in any other, in India as in America. The very fact that we pass from that stage of attraction of the eye to that of the ear is a sign of real progress. To-day in India, if a person is given any newspaper in which there are pictures in connection with the advertisements, and is asked to purchase something from the store, he will say : “That person; has spent to much money in advertising that his charges will be higher," and in that way he will settle the business. He has passed from the stage in which the eye is attracted to that in which the ear is attracted. Later still we hear eloquent people, and they electrify us as it were on account of their power of speech, and sometimes we come to conclusions while hearing them which would not be our conclusions if it were not for this power. But if we passed that stage, when we come home we reason on those
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