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The Jains through Time
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Can those 'holy books' that call for animal A sage is a seer and a thinker - one who slaughter and human sacrifice in the name himself sees the real truth and reflects on it. of religion", and raise barriers of hatred and He experiences with all creatures the hostility between man and man, ever be the oneness' of an all-pervading consciousness. genuine revelations of the sages - the seers Can such a sage or muni, ever utter such of truth? In one so-called scripture, it is said malicious or divisive words? Cap it be in about a shudra, who is a member of the accordance with the sanctity of scriptures human race: 'He is a living crematorium.** like the Vedas, Agamas, and Tripitakas, that on One should even avoid his shadow." Does the one hand, those same sages or munis there seem to be any kind of humanity in who preached the scriptures taught amity, teachings like this? Woman, who is and then on the other, they are said to have exclusively granted the great and glorious taught hatred to humankind? privilege of motherhood, and who showers the entire human race with love and In fact it is inappropriate to consider as affection, is referred to in this way: 'There scripture any ideas, interpolations, or are no greater sinners than women. ** Can writings by any scholar from the Middle such statements ever be part of any religion? Ages, be it in Sanskrit, Prakrit, or any other When these books, sowing the seeds of class language, and become bogged down in it. I conflict, cast-antipathy, and communal have great regard for the distinctive thought hatred - so breaking up human and vision contained in those texts, as I do consciousness into many fragments - for their message of universal welfare. I proclaimed: 'On being touched by any myself read them and preach their ideas. member of a certain sect, one must However, I think that it is not right to immediately plunge into water with all follow some kind of narrow-minded one's clothes on' 5, did they show a sign of intellectual tendency to consider these any self-knowledge?
writings to be always true to the letter.
"yantartha pasavah srslâh Svayamēva svayambhua, yarasya bhulyar sarvasya fasadyaviē vadho vadhah Alam sarili, 5/39
Valiki Ramayan (Sunan sopa), Balkand, Sary (2 # Taschule Dharma-Saw, 4/3 " yastu chaydint svapäkasya brāhmano nyadhirohali, tafra snänar prakurvita giyan prasya dhati - Amri 288-289. Yaya-2/30 (quoted from winakshari)
na stribhyah kašaidanyadva papivastaramasti var, Mahabharat Am. 38/12 bandhan pasupatamscaiva focavatikanastikan, vikarmasthân duyan sprstva sacalo jalamavset. - Suvichandiw.patre, 118
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