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teachers, both oriental and western. Take for instance the 3rd of the 4 Noble Truths viz that it is possible to transcend the vicious circle of births and deaths by being free from the bondage of 'Karma' thus reaching a state of total liberation called 'Nirvana'; and almost the entire Eightfoid Path emphacising 'Right Seeing'; Right Knowledge', Right Conduct', 'Right Meditation,' Right Livelihood,' •Right Awareness' etc., only avoiding their extremes; (Jainism was perhaps erroneously seen as advocating extremes); the ultimate state of existence to which Buddhism refers as 'Void' or 'Shunyata', or 'Nothingness' i. e. becoming a Buddha as different from 'Siddha' of Jainas (Buddha derived from Intelligence and knowledge, even intuition : Siddha derived from siddhi the action, the 'becoming' itself of 'Nothing' i. e. paradoxically 'Everything' and finally the original of all human beings being that of a Buddha in order to enter 'Nir vana', all one had to do was to have faith in one's origina! Buddha nature and unfold oneself into it. It is, perhaps easily forgotten that during the life-time and even soon or centuries after 'Nirvana' of these two Masters, scholars or saints or travellers who may have come to India as visitors may have established contacts with both the schools. Similarly, missionaries from both schools may have gone out of India and established them-selves in foreign lands. How and why then, only one of them is so vehemently mentioned and the other totally ignored? If anything at all was possible, it must have been the other way round viz that Buddha consciously or unconsciously adopted mutatis mutandis some of the principles and teachings from the prevailing established Jainism. This indeed as well as despite being most eminent and rival contemporaries whether or not they ever saw or met each other (so far no refercnce to such a meeting or meetings has been found in the holy books of either of them), make an extremely extensive field for deep research and intensive study both for scholars and teachers alike. The fact that Buddhism as actually preached by Lord Buddha and Buddhism as centuries after his 'Nirvana' formulated by scholars appear divergent appears
