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Jainism As Metaphilosophy
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karma is considered a mark of impurity and hence the jiva in the state of bondage is referred to as impure (aśuddha). With the attainment of liberation (mokşa), the jiva becomes pure (suddha). The original state of purity of consciousness which was lost (thanks to the impact of ajiva, - particularly karmic matter, an aspect of ajiva) is now regained.
From our brief reference above to the Jaina Weltanschauung the general drift of Jaina philosophy would have become apparent: the analysis of Reality includes a concept of man as well as an exhortation that a right understanding of Reality paves the way for realising a practical end for which philosophy strives.
Our analysis of the Jaina viewpoint has thusfar been deliberately directed on the content-aspect rather than on the methodological aspect. Why has this procedure been adopted even though our main concern is arriving at a concept of philosophy? Our answer is that it is with a view to making the point that descriptions of various systems of philosophy focus on content rather than on the method of analysis involved. It is also with a view to underlining the fact that not only are there systems of philosophy (darśanas) but patterns of analysis as well which are at work in them all.
The patterns may not be discernible at all unless they are deliberately pondered over. This indeed makes it difficult to arrive at a concept of philosophy. Why are the patterns not transparently evident at first sight and why cannot a concept of philosophy make itself apparent, even to start with? While describing the systems (delineating the specific contents of the system in question is comparatively an easy task, "going beyond the contents”, reflecting about what is involved in constructing these systems of philosophy, is admittedly a more difficult task. How is this situation to be accounted for? A slight digression here in defining the term metaphilosophy itself might help in finding the answer to our query.
While the expression philosophising' might be rightly used to describe what the various systems attempt to explain, the term “philosophising about philosophy' may be employed to go beneath the superstructure that these systems of philosophy represent. This is the idea of metaphilosophy as employed in our present enquiry into the Jaina concept of philosophy. The question posed in the previous paragraph might then be rephrased as follows: "Why is a philosophy of philosophy (meta
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