New Dimensions in Jaina Logic

Author(s): Mahaprajna Acharya, Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Today and Tommorrow Printers and Publishers

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20 New Dimensions in Jaina Logic
eighth century A.D. This battle of arguments ushered in a new era of logic.
. When there arise conflicts between philosophies, the philosophers are prone to strengthen their respective position through refutation of others' by means of logic, relegating the scripture to a secondary place of importance. A philosopher does not depend upon the scriptures for the support of his views, but he requisitions logic in defence of his position.
Scripture and Logic Reconciled
The Jaina logic of philosophical period has some distinctive achievements to its credit. The first is the reconciliation between scripture and logic. In the scriptural age the ultimate source of valid knowledge was the scripture itself or the person possessed of supersensory knowledge. In the Mimāmsā system the ultimate authority rested with the Vedas. They consider the Vedas as impersonal revelation and not as written by man. According to the Nyāya school such authority is derived by the Vedas from God as their revealer. The Jaina philosophers regard the man who has achieved perfect detachment as the ultimate authority. Āgama, in Jaina terminology, stands for the person who has eradicated all the blemishes, who is completely free from all kinds of attachments and who is omniscient. In the Sthānāngasūtra there is given an hierarchy of five sources of discipline: 1. Agama-People possessed of super-sensory knowledge or
versed in the purvas. 2. Śruta—The scriptures. 3. Ājña--Promulgations. 4. Dhāraņā-Opinions. 5. Jita-Approved practices.
Men with power of omniscience, clairvoyance and mind reading, as well as those who are possessed of the knowledge of the fourteen purvas, ten purvas or nine purvas plus the third Acaracula of the tenth purva-all these six persons are considered Agama, which is the highest authority. In the absence of Agama the scripture (i.e. the words of the Agama-puruşa) is authoritative. In scriptural period the Āgama-purusa and in his absence the scripture was considered as the authority. In the philosophical period the authority of the Agama was secondary while reason and logic were the primary sources of authority.
Even in the scriptural period the Jaina thinkers did not under