Nandanvana

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 66

MATHEMATICAL FORMULARY OF MAHĀVĪRAN PRECEPTS*
The present century is the century of science and technology. Only those systems will survive which have high scientificity involving intellectual and experimental verifications. The faith may be secondary factor for attractions. The teachings of Mahāvīra pass this test. They postulate realistic thoughts and rational behaviour. The early Jinistic texts encourage examination of religious concepts through intelligence. It encourages self-effort to make one's own destiny. It has an ideal of welfare of the self and of all the living beings. It defines religion both ways - subjectively and objectively. It is that way of life, which leads to ultimate and spiritual happiness. It improves the individual and betters the society. It has certain basic preceptual formulae to make them scientifically verifiable.
It is seen that simple physical laws are applicable to complex biological systems, which have made us learn about many complex phenomena of the life and the living'. Why, similarly, the laws of abstract sciences like economics and psychology could not be applied to the spiritual systems? Yes, this could be done. A Jinistic formulary and graphery has been given here for understanding and, therefore, promoting the religious principles and practices on scientific basis. Precepts: The Physical World and the Spiritual World
The basic Jaina tenets regarding the cosmos are given below:
Chapter - 4
1. The Cosmos in General: The cosmos is real and substantively eternal and modally changing. It consists of conglomeration of all that exists. It functions on natural laws without any external agency. It is a non-theocentric system2.
Paper read at Seminar on Jainism, C.S.C., Delhi, March 2004.