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Contribution of Jainism to Philosophy, History and Progress advancement consists in both being right and consistent.
Coming back to the question of the first beginnings of philosophy, we say that primitive systems in search of reality, are satisfied when they postulate a simple substance for the explanation of the complexity of the universe. This kind of reflection, though primitive, is an improvement on the spirit of conquest, devastation, and extirpation. Centuries of peace, industry, and reflection develop better culture and higher civilization. The history of all nations bears ample testimony to this fact. India is no exception to this rule. The day on which the Aryan ancestors of modern Hindus first began to reflect on the origin of the universe must be celebrated by them as a national holiday. Unfortunately, such a day cannot be fixed, and the Hindus have never had a national spirit.
In orthodox Hindu philosophy, the search for the First Cause is recommended, because it is supposed to land us in the realm of reality, the idea being that effects are unreal, and the true reality is the First Cause. "The reality which, being indescribable, is always mentioned in the Upanishads as It (Tat), is Brahman; material manifestations being but shadows of the Eternal Ens, clothed in name and form (Maya - illusion). Hence, to realize that I am and always have been Brahma is the sum-mum, bonum. The Jaina view is that the "realization" of the primal substance, out of which the universe has manifested, is no advancement or progress. The Jainas are the advocates of the development theory; hence their ideal is physical, mental, moral, and spiritual perfection. The very idea of a simple substance, without qualities, character, and activities, finds no place in the Jaina philosophy, and is regarded as irrelevant and illogical; a characterless cause manifesting as a qualitative effect is a misunderstanding of the law of causation. Cause and effect, substance and manifestation, noumenon and phenomenon, are really identical. Cause is a
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