Jainism the Creed for All Times

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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world's most tolerant creed that can see and appreciate the others' points of view with an open mind without the blinkers of dogma. Its method of seven-fold predication (Saptabhangi Syādvāda) that makes its own assertions and others' criticisms mild and inoffensive, giving it the most non-violent form of speech ever possible.
The twenty-four Prophets that propounded this creed, since time immemorial, are known as Tīrtharikaras or ford makers because they organised their followers in a four tiered religio social organisation (Tīrtha) that serves as a ford to cross over the chasm of worldliness to attain nirvānā. This organisation is so sound that it has kept its essential form intact even after two and half millennia have elapsed since the nirvāṇa of the last Tīrthankara Bhagvān Mahāvīra.
It is its sound organisation, universally appealing principles and wholesomeness of the creed that make it eternally - THE CREED FOR ALL TIMES'.
I have presented the essential features of this wonderful creed, called Jainism, if at all it can be called an 'ism', with their relevance in the solution of the problems of the present times, in six sections besides the benediction.
The first section is introductory in nature. Along with a brief but authentic description of the life-events of the last Prophet-Propounder of the current form of Jainism - Bhagvān Mahāvīra, some light has been thrown on the eternality, historicity, originality, form, concept of reality, the concept of the soul, that of karma, the beginningless association of soul and karma, freedom from the clutches of karma (mukti) and the question of theism or atheism of Jainism have been dealt with in the following three chapters of this section : - 1. Mahāvīra : The Messiah Of Mercy, and
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