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Religious Harmony and Fellowship of Faiths: A Jaina Perspective
to Uttaradhyayana, when Gautama, the chief disciple of Mahavira and Kesi, a prominent pontiff of Parsvanatha's sect met at Kosambi, both paid due regard to each other and discussed the various problems dispassionately and in gentle and friendly manner about the differences of both the sects
Haribhadra has not only maintained this latitudinarian outlook of earlier Jainācāryas, but lent new dimension to it. He was born in the age when the intellectuals of the India were engaged in hair-splitting philosophical discussions and in relentless criticism of one other. Though he also critically evaluated the other philosophical and religious systems, his outlook was fully liberal and attempted to see the truth of his opponent's logic also.
In the Sastravärtä-samuccaya which is one of the foremost works illustrating Haribhadra's liberal outlook, it is mentioned that the great saint, venerable Lord Buddha preached the doctine of Momentariness (Kṣaṇikavada), Non-existence of soul (Anatmavāda), Idealism (Vijñanavada) and Nothingness (Sünyavada) with a particular intention to vanish the mineness and desire for worldly objects and keeping in view the different levels of mental development of his followers, like a good physician who prescribes the medicine according to the disease and nature of the patient. He has the same liberal and regardful attitude towards Samkhya and Nyaya schools of Bhrahmanical philosophy. He maintains that naturalism (Prakṛtivada) of Samkhya and Isvara kaṛtṛtvavada of the Nyaya school is also true and justified, if viewed from certain standpoint3 Further, the epithets such as the great saint (mahamuni), the venerable (arhat), the good physician (Suvaidya) used by him for Buddha and for Kapila shows his generosity and deference to other religious leaders. Haribhadra's crusade against sectarianism is unique and admirable in the history of world-religions.
Alongwith these literary evidences there are some epigraphical evidences of religious tolerance of the Jainas also. Some Jaina ācāryas such as Rāmkirti and Jaymangalasūri wrote the hymns in the praise of Tokalji and goddess Camunda Jaina kings such as Kumarpāla, Visnuvardhan and others constructed the temples of Śiva and Viṣṇu along with the temple of Jina'.
Finally, I would like to mention that Jainism has a sound philosophical foundation for religious tolerance and throughout the age, it practically never indulged in aggressive wars in the name of religion nor did they invoke divine sanction for cruelities against the people of alien
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faiths. They have always believed in religious harmony. and fellowship of faiths.
Though generally Jainas do classify religions in the heretic (mithya-drsti) and non-heretic (samyak-drsti) yet, mithya-drsti, according to them, is one who possesses onesided view and considers others as totally false, while samyak-dṛṣți is the one who is unprejudiced and sees the truth in his opponents views also. It is interesting to note here that Jainism calls itself a union of heretic views (micchādamsana-samūh). Siddhasena (5th cent. A.D.) mentions "Be glorious the teachings of Jina which are the union of all the heretic views i.e. the organic synthesis of one-sided and partial views, essence of spiritual nectar and easily graspable to the aspirants of emancipation
Anandaghana, a mystic Jaina saint of the 17th cont. A.D. remarks that just as ocean includes all the rivers so does Jainism all other faiths. Further, he beautifully expounds that all the six heretic schools are the organs of Jina and one who worships Jina also worships them Historically we also find that various deities of other sects are adopted in Jainism and worshipped by the Jainas. Acarya Somadeva in his work Yasastilak-campu remarks that where there is no distortion from right faith and accepted vows, one follow the tradition prevailing in the country.**
As we have already said that Jainas believe in the unity of world religions, but unity, according to them, does not imply omnivorous unity in which all the alien faiths will conjoin each other to form a organic whole without loosing their own independent existence. In other words it believes in a harmonious co-existence or a liberal synthesis in which all the organs have their individual existence, but work for a common goal i.e. the peace of mankind. To eradicate the religious conflicts and violence from the world, some may give a slogan of "one world religion" but it is neither possible nor practicable so far as the diversities in human thoughts are in existence. In the Niyamasara it is said that there are different persons, their different activities or karmas and different levels or capacities, so one should not engage himself in hot discussions neither with other sects nor one's own sect.4€
Haribhadra remarks that the diversity in the teachings of the sages is due to the diversity in the levels of their disciples or the diversity in standpoints adopted by the Sages or the diversity in the period of time when they preached, or it is only an apparent diversity. Just as a physician prescribes medicine according to the nature of patent, its illness and the climate so is the case of diversity
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