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It is often said that Jain thought is not a philosophy, in the modern Western sense of the term; the characterisation is striking but facile This is because according to my idea, the Western philosophy is directly under the influence of monistic philosophy of life. Certainly there are both religion and philosophy in the Jain thought, but there has rarely been a divorce of philosophy from religion and almost every school of thought other than the Jain that exists today aims to create a 'MOKSHA-SUTRA – science of salvation Jain philosophy is not to be taken as an exercise of intellect alone with no bearing on conduct, its radical element is to lead the follower to liberation Thus Jaio philosophy is a way of living, a method of thought and action devoted to the attainment of the two-fold armour of Sacredness, one salvation as the goal and the other Nonviolence for practice And this is a distinct phenomenon. As philosophy is not confined only to the past, future can. Bot slip out of its womb. As the doors of philosophy can never be shut, I hope that this sacred stream of thought will flow further without any possibility of drying up; let it continue to flow for ever
There lived many Jinas in the past and many will doubtless yet be born. Of such Jinas those who become the spiritual heads and regenerators of the community are called ARHATS (the deserving ones), or TIRTHANKARAS ( bridge makers in the figurative sense -- that is
