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Geeta Mehta, Humanism and Jainism
pursued in seclusion from one's fellow-beings and in separation from life's other activities. The equivalent for Religion is Dharma in Sanskrit, which means moral obligation and connotes individual's integrity as well as social solidarity. The universe as envisaged in Jain teaching and the motto is parasparopagraho jīvānām1 "There should be mutual support between living creatures".
Religious tolerance
Jaina thinkers have consistently shown deference to other ideologies and faiths. In the Sūtrakṛtānga (2nd Century B.C), it is stated that those who praise their own faith and view and disparage those of their opponents, possess malice against them and hence will remain confined to the cycle of birth and death.
sayam sayam pasamsantā garahantā param vayam je u tattha viussanti samsaram te viussiyā.2
299
In another famous Jaina work of the same period the Isibhāsiyaim, the teaching of the 45 renowned saints of Sramanical and Brahmanical schools of thinking such as Narada, Bharadvaja, Gautama Buddha and many others have been presented with regard:
Devanāradena arahatā isiņā buiyam.3
Haribhadra's crusade against sectarianism is unique and admirable in history of world religions. Jainism has a sound philosophical foundation for religious tolerance and throughout the ages, it practically had remained tolerant and regardful to other faiths and ideologies.
Acārya Amitagati writes a beautiful verse for tolerance -
sattveṣu maitrim gunisu pramodam kliṣṭeṣu jīveṣu kṛpāparatvam madhyasthabhavam viparītavṛttau sadā mamātmā vidadhātu deva.4
Jainism attaches great importance to universal tolerance, an active ingredient of the principle of Ahimsā.
1 Tattvārthasūtra 5.21.
2 Sūtrakṛtänga 1/1/2/23.
3 Isibhāsiyāim1/1.
4 Sāmāyika Pāṭha 1 (Sāmāyika Patha I by Amitagati. Published in Sāmāyikasūtra, Sanmati Jnanapitha, Agra).
