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TEACHINGS
73
One cannot fail to perceive the logical necessity of its formulation in the teachings of Mahāvīra. Both Mahāvīra and Buddha had to reckon with the sceptical position of Sañjaya suspending judgments where an assertion of truth appeared to be opposed by a counter-assertion, each, according to a verbal interpretation, excluding the other. If the question was mooted like this. Is the world eternal or not eternal ? The Master's advice to his disciples was neither to side with those who maintained that the world is eternal nor with those who maintained that it is not eternal The reason assigned for this was that from neither of these alternatives they could arrive at truth, or that proceeding (exclusively) from either they would only be led to error. To avoid exclusiveness in judgments about all matters of fact is the chief thing aimed at in the above advice. Thus in deciding all such questions, the admirable way was one of syādvāda : The world is eternal as far as that part is concerned which is the substratum of the idea (sāmânya)“ world";
it is not eternal as far as its ever-changing state . is meant . The syād mode was the real way of
escape from the position of the dogmatist and
Jaina-Sūtras, II, p 405, f n. I.
