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The Unknown Pilgrims
Jaina bhakti, which is of great refinement, needs to be clarified by knowledge of the doctrine. Even if numerous holy and learned åcāryas have led the way in this bhakti tradition, this does not mean that the faithful have received any doctrinal training - indeed, far from it. Therefore one can hardly be surprised if, carried away by their ardent devotion and overwhelmed by the hardships of daily life, certain ones have turned the tirthankaras into a type of God that in reality they are not and have proceeded quite naturally to ask of them both spiritual and temporal favours.42 We must also take into account a further important factor: for several centuries many Jainas have constituted very small minorities in the midst of a vast Hindu population, and in some regions Jaina worship has been influenced as regards its less important characteristics by the impact made upon it by certain forms of Hindu worship. However, on the whole - and this is due very largely to its wandering ascetics, both men and women, who have maintained close links with local communities - the dharma 'has survived and continues to do so, faithful to its initial inspiration.
This also needs to be added: it is not easy in comparison with other religious and philsophical systems, to justisy certain aspects of Jaina doctrine such as the belief in the everlasting nature of the dharma which is revealed at regular intervals in successive ages through the tirthankaras, nor to elucidate thereby those burning questions to which most theological and philosophical systems have sought to find an answer, namely, questions of the origin of man and the cosmos. Certain learned acāryas have tried to get round this difficulty by turning Rşabhanātha or Adinātha, the first tirthankara of our phase avasarpiņi, into a sort of Creator, Controller, in the sense that, being the first to attain mastery, he was the prime initiator in every realm. He is thus accorded a very great importance, even an absolute supremacy; hence the immence vencration that surrounds him. The ācāryas have not hesitated to borrow titles which are proper
42 I have discussed this subject with Āryikā Jñānamati who said that there is often a wide divergence between doctrine and practice. This happens in all religious traditions, but the Jainas have a great disadvantage in being a very scattered minority.
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