Reason and Faith of Jainism

Author(s): Hemant Shah
Publisher: Z_Gems_of_Jainism_001803.pdf

Page 10

Gems of Jainism
happiness")* The self effort is an effort to attain the unity of Right Reason (Samyak snan), Right Vision (Samyak darsana) and Right Conduct (Samyak caritra). It gives emphasis on Reason and Faith both, on Anekanta and ahimsa both. Jainism wants understanding and trusting both involved in practicing the religion, and that is self-effort. Jainism,philosophically (rationally) is realistic, in the sense it accepts the objects of the world as real; but by nature Jainism is Acarpradhana, in the sense that it is highly ethical and accepts Faith as inevitable in self-effort (in Sadhana). Jainism as an important, fully developed and well eshtablished religious and cultural system, possesses the elements of Reason and Faith both. The entire Jain religion and its theology and mythology is Faith, its metaphysics, its logic and doctrine of Karma is Reason; and yet Jainism is an unique unity of theology, mythology and philosophy; a unique unit of Reason and Faith.
In Jainism, the emphasis is on the unity of faith, knowledge and conduct. The Jain religion is certainly a rational religion and at the same time the 'worship’, rituals, facts and festivals reveal the element of faith in it. Dr. J.P. Jain, says that, “the basic spirit of Jainism is 'to live and let live', to live a life of understanding, tolerance, sympathetic cooperation, and peaceful coexistence, may, the still fuller and nobler corealisation.”}; A student of Jain philosophy, after the study of its metaphysical doctrines and the presuppositions, its ethics and its philosophy of soul; its theory of knowledge and non-absolutism (Sayādvāda & Nayavāda), its logic and law of Karma; its theistic colour, and popular belief and sadhana - after a thorough study of these all, finds Jainism both, highly rational and at the same time, highly theistic with deep faith and high spirituality. In Jainism, as Tattvarthasutra says the right faith, right knowledge and right conduct is the way to liberation, we find the unity of reason, faith and conduct. At the same time, if we study the entire way to attain liberation we find, in Jainism, it is the rational that grows into the spiritual. It would not be proper to say that in Jainism the reason is considered lower and faith