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JAINA SCHOLARSHIP: DECLINE OR GROWTH
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A recent issue of 'Jaina Spirit' has published two articles of an Edinburgh Professor regarding "Self critical tradition of Jaina scriptures and Declining level of the current Jaina scholarship". These articles lead us to infer what the western scholarship thinks about us and what we should do to improve our image in the western academic world. The author has called the short and long commentaries of scriptures as self-critical rather than seriously analytical explanatories. This literature has been composed by the monk-scholars. According to him, the Jainas were aristocrats, kings and warriors up to 14" century and the monks composed the literature on monastic conduct or encouraging to move on this side. After this period, the Jainas became businessmen and direction of new literature changed towards the laity. However, this literature calls for idealized life and, therefore, totally impractical in many respects. This description seems to be based prominently on Śvetambara literature. However, the statement of the author is not true, as Trilokaprajñapti has given the number of laymen and women in the period of each ford-builder in terms of lacs. It consisted of a very small number of aristocrats; about 99% belonged to different classes. How could the ford-builders leave them without proper direction? That is why; the primary text of "Upāsakadaśā' describes the laity conduct prominently. Other Śvetambara primary texts also have described the practices and vows of the laity. Of course, it might be possible that there may not be independent texts on this subject. However, the Digambaras do have the texts on the conduct of the laity by Samantabhadra (2nd century A.D.). It has been translated in English as 'Mänava Dharma'. Later many books on the conduct of the laity have been composed and their compendium is published from Jivaraj Granthamala, Sholapur.
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