Light of Nonviolence

Author(s): Sushilmuni
Publisher: Vishwa Ahimsa Sangh Delhi

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enlightened or Self-realized and shows the path or way of freedom to others. Lord Parsva preceded Mahavira in the 8th century as the 23rd crossing-maker. In Jain religious history, there are 22 other tirthankaras or Selfrealized, crossing-makers of freedom.
The philosophy of Jainism is founded upon profoundly true ideas about reality. The doctrine of anekantavada is based upon the assumption that all knowledge is relative to subjectivity, nature, culture, and the conditional universe. There are at least 253 differing viewpoints or nayas of reality. This means that a single absolute truth cannot exist apart from human knowledge, material change, and the relative world. In this respect, Jainism like Buddhism rejects the absolute monism of Vedic philosopy since both philosophies are non-dualistic, relativistic, and atheistic.
Jainism has a uniquely postmodern theory of knowledge, quite consistent with an atomic or quantum theory of space, time, and materiality. At the same time, it affirms the eternity of jiva or an utterly unique soul for each individual, and of our possible Self-realization in this lifetime and in this physical body.
Non-absolutism is an important feature of Jainism. It assumes that an absolute exists, i.e. jiva, soul, or Self, but in relation to the material, constantly changing world. In this context, non-absolutism is the basis for nonviolence or the core ethics of Jainism.
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