Book Title: Sense Beyond Senses
Author(s): Chitrabhanu
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre

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Page 40
________________ stop at the devotee himself following the principles of non-violence, but it goes further in as much as no violence shall be commissioned or consented to by an honest devotee of non-violence. Anekantwad,—the Theory of Relativity. Gunratna Suri, the commentator of a Jain work on “Comparative Philosophy” says: “Although the various schools of philosophy, through sectarian bigotry, differ from and contradict one another, still there are certain aspects of truth in them which would harmonize if they were joined into an organic whole." . . The age-old saying of a coin having two sides is well known to this congregation. Jainism, however, makes this one of its basic principles. It requires that any object, situation or controversy should be looked at from all aspects. If an individual, a community or nation allows its vision to be narrowed by turning a deaf ear to the opinions of others, it is definitely heading for self-destruction. Jainism promises to reconcile all the conflicting schools, not by inducing any of them necessarily to abandon their favourite standpoints, but by proving to them that the standpoints of all others are tenable. They may represent. some aspect of truth which can, with some modification, be represented. The Integrity of Truth consists in this very variety of all its aspects. This philosophy makes the Jain universal in his outlook and ever ready to understand the nature of other systems of theology. 39

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