Path of Arhat

Author(s): T U Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Smarak Parshwanath Shodhpitha Varanasi

Page 15

[ XIV ]
and to explain its working is the task of a philosopher, but to live according to its rules, to play one's own role as a part of that machanism so that the machine can work properly, is the task of a religious person. This is the philosophy and this is the religion. This philosophy and this religion cannot be carried out successfully without accepting the doctrine of total nonviolence, i. e., non-violence in thought, speech and action. A weak person can not practice such non-violence for the simple reason that the concept of total non-violence is not a negative one. It is not just doing nothing. True non-violence is not the product of merely an intellctual understanding. It is rather, a product of head and heart both. One cannot be nonviolent unless one understands the real nature of irritating causes. But to understand the real nature of causes and events, surrounding us, two things are very necessarily required, namely, (1) love and (2) capacity to appreciate the totality of comprehensive aspects of these causes and events. As a matter of fact, both these requirements are inter-dependent, because without the love, capacity to have total comprehension is not developed and without the capacity to have total comprehension, the element of love is not developed.
This has led the Jaina thinkers to put emphasis on the development of a broader outlook and open mindedness to understand the things as they are. Cultivation of mind was found to be the key to the Halls of Heaven. But they realised that mind cannot be cultivated and disciplined by force. The basic treatment of human mind should be through reason and logic, because the existence of reason and logic is the only feature which distinguishes human beings from the rest of the animal world.
To develop this reason and logic, the Jaina thinkers provided the theory of Syadvāda, the theory of relativity, the greatest contribution made by Jainism in the thinking process of mankind but unfortunately, little known to the occidentals. This theory propounds that every judgement is relatively true,