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CHARACTERISTICS OF JAINISM *
It has been now conclusively proved that Jinism is not at all an offshoot of Buddhism but it is an independent and original system of thought claiming perhaps more antiquity than what is generally ascribed to it. As a system by itself, it has, like its rival schools of thought, many outstanding characteristics in almost all of its branches, namely, logic, philosophy, physics, metaphysics, cosmology, biology, ethics, astrology, astronomy, etc. It has made a valuable contribution to the development of ancient Aryan thought and culture However, it is not possible for me give in this lecture a detailed sketh of its various characteristics. As I hope that you are already in the know of the fundamental principles of all the leading schools. of thought in India, I shall be content at the moment simply with outlining some. of the prominent features of the Jaina thought and culture.
(1) I shall first of all discuss the Jaina conception of philosophy as it has a direct bearing on the life we ought to live, Philosophy is, unfortunately, such at term, as has the fate of having been ambiguously employed, thereby often giving rise to much confusion even in the scholarly world regarding its significance, aimas. and objects. Aristotle, for example, has defined philosophy to be "the science of the first principle or beginnings". Another Western scholar interprets it in the sense of entirely unified knowledge, while according to the third it is nothing more less than the science of the Absolute. Thus there are as many interpretations placed on the term philosophy as there are authors. Which shows that the West gives us no clear-cut definition of the functions of Philosophy.
In my humble opinion, among the Eastern schools of thought it is Jinism only which offers the practical solution as to what Philosophy stands for. It adopts a matter-of-fact attitude, instead of indulging in wild theories, as other schools have. idly done, and defines philosophy as a harmonious attempt of the head and the heart for the removal of impediments which block the way to Right Vision into the metaphysics of thoughts and things, which vision leads us to Right Knowledge of the whole universe and also of our duties to ourselves, to our neighbours and to the world around. Thus the Jaina definition of it, which is based on such sutras as नागकिरियाहि मोक्खो or सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणि मोक्षमार्ग: 5 includes in itself an often-too3, much-neglected practical aspect of our life.
Jain Education International
Extension Lecture, delivered on September 16, 1939. Published in the Bharatiya Vidya, Vol. I; Port II, May, 1940.
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