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with the Dhammapada or for literary execllence with the Theragathas; at least as purely literary works the Jain stories and didactic material seem more ethical and religious than literary.
I thank you for volume entitled Adhyatma-Tattvāloka which I have read with much interest as far as I can, namely in English and Sanskrit. It is an admirable exposition of Jain philosophy and the Introduction is an illuminating piece of work, though in ordinary parlance "atheism” implies a refusal to believe in God as a personal creater; the nastika is one who does not believe in God or in the next world according to different commentators; there is no one definition, but in its literal meaning it should be rendered “infidel" rather than atheist, leaving the object of faith whether God or the next world, to be imagined from the context (see for example the definitions given of lastika by the commentators to Manu). It would be a discussion about words rather than about facts to ask whether Jainsim is atheistic before defining atheism. In religions that admit a demiurge as God the faith is practically theistic although philosophically the background may be imper. sonal and Absolute. Personally it seems to me otiose to enquire whether the spiritual highest is of one sort or another provided one admits that the highest is spiritual; for in the end no one knows anything about it.
With kindest greatings for the New Year, I remain,
Very sincerely yours,
E. W. HOPKINS. Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat www.umaragyanbhandar.com
