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Svetāmbara Scholars on Kundakunda: An Appraisal
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terms syādvāda and saptabhangi both of which are unknown in the works of Umāsvāti as well as of Siddhasena, but known to Samantabhadra”. 46 Why cannot Dhaky digest the fact that since Lord Mahāvīra's teachings being the common property of both Digambaras and Svetāmbaras continued to be preserved through being memorized by the ascetic saints of both sects and as time passed quite a number of ideas and concepts could remain with Digambara ācāryas/saints, including Kundakunda, and found in Digambara canons/scriptures.
Also why cannot Dhaky accept the fact that like Mahāvīra, Buddha and others, Kundakunda could be far ahead of his times and his concepts can be relevant even today and attract the attention of people interested in spiritualism? He ignores the fact that whether Umāsvāti was the disciple of Kundakunda (as many Digambara scholars belicve) or not (as Svetāmbara scholars believe) and irrespective of the fact as to who preceded or followed, Kundakunda was Kundakunda because of his spiritual insights and creative thinking and his delving deep into the psycho-spiritual aspects of human nature. Unlike Sagarmal Jain, Dhaky does not think that Kundakunda was an original thinkér (this is quite apparent from his mention of "original” in quotes before Kundakunda's teachings). Dhaky blames Kundakunda for “unacceptable teachings”, 48 he yet speaks of “his competence in the highly original exposition and interpretation of some of the Nirgrantha doctrines, not to say of his profound conversance with the traditional Jaina dogmas”49 and of his making “conceptual improvements”, which were "earlier unknown” in Jaina texts. So Appreciation of Kundakunda by Śvetāmbara Scholars of Terāpantha Sect
Not all Śvetāmbara scholars agree to Dhaky's views that Kundakunda belonged to the latter half of the 8th Century A.D. and that his teachings are "unacceptable", etc. The prescribed text for M.A. course on “Jaina Religion and Philosophy” of Jaina Vishva Bharati, Ladnun (Rajasthan, India), run by the Terāpantha sect of Sthanakavāsī Śvetämbara Jaina, categorically states:
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