Source Book in Jaina Philosophy

Author(s): Devendramuni
Publisher: Tarak Guru Jain Granthalay

Page 8

PUBLISHER'S NOTE Subtitle
It would be apt to say that without understanding Jaina Philosophy, the study of Indian philosophy and metaphysics would remain incomplete; not only this, but the philosophic and metaphysical background of Indian thinking would remain unclear and un-understood.
Not only among Indian philosophies, but among the philosophies of the world, only the Jaina philosophy darefully advocates the limitless power and energy of human soul and its independency; and bestows full responsibility upon the man and man himself to attain the highest goal of his life--the infinite bliss, without the help of any God or supreme being.
The non-violence (ahimsa) is the back-bone of Jaina Philosophy. Non-violence is the base of Jaina religion and philosophy. It is all and all of Jainism. Complete thinking and conduct of Jainas are spread on the vast canvas of non-violence. So the Jainas presented deep and vivid study of non-violence.
For this purpose, the exhaustive study of non-violence, Jaina thinkers pierced sufficiently deep into the material sciences like-Physics, Chemistry, and specially Zoology, Botany and Biology. By the deep study of these sciences, the minutest details which were presented by the Jaina thinkers, proved true to such a high degree, that even the greatest scientists of to-day are astonished. They highly esteem those consequences, by saying that it is wonderful how such consequences obtained milleniums ago while there were no laboratories, etc.
These results proved very much beneficial to Jainas. On the one side, they could follow the path of non-violence, in their thought and behaviour; and on the other Jainism is standing upright in the modern science-effected world. While other orthodox religions and isms are either in clash or they slink away and hesitate to face the new researches of the modern science; the Jaina metaphy.