Jainism by Vividus

Author(s): Ramnik V Shah
Publisher: Ramnik V Shah Canada

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concrete world. It maintains that the basic ultimate Realities are two: Jiva and Ajiva and not one, the Brahma.
The Jaina system has many other unique features which are found nowhere in any other system. As will be elaborated in later pages, its theory of Karma, its way of approach for the formulation of any proposal relating to living or non-living things (the doctrine of Syadvada) and in fact its entire terminology to explain itself, are so unlike other systems that not only is it impossible to state that it is an offshoot of any other system, but that it must be concluded that it is original without parallel. For want of appeal to minds cast or conditioned in a particular way, the system may be considered an offshoot or even nonexistent, but the uniqueness of it, together with the fact that it has existed over thousands of years and that millions of people have chosen to be its followers, creating visible proofs thereof in the form of Temples, buildings and books of quality and permanence, cannot but compel pure and unprejudiced enquiring minds to take notice of it for deep study and investigation.
In India today, once again Jainism is being recognised on all levels, including the level of the Central Government as an old religion of great antiquity, quite original and different from other systems of thought ordinarily bracketed, though erroneously, as ''Hinduism" "Hinduism'' is a misnomer for any one religious system from among many religious systems which are being followed by people in India. “Hinduism" is not a religion but a word denoting that common pattern of outward appearance and behaviour, habits and customs, an outlook and approach to social or communal life which is found in various groups of people and which are so alike in the great country of India that they give an impression of sameness to a superficial outside observer. Not all these people follow one and the same religion.
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