The Religious Function of Jaina Philosophy:AnekāntavādaReconsidered
This paper considers the socio-religious rationale for the Jaina theory of the non-one-sided nature of reality (anekāntavāda). In doing so it rejects the received view thatanekāntavāda's exclusive function is to promote non-violence at the intellectual level. Instead it advances a model which e...
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| Published in | Religion (London. 1971) Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 41 - 50 |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Elsevier Ltd
01.01.1995
Taylor & Francis Group |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | This paper considers the socio-religious rationale for the Jaina theory of the non-one-sided nature of reality (anekāntavāda). In doing so it rejects the received view thatanekāntavāda's exclusive function is to promote non-violence at the intellectual level. Instead it advances a model which emphasizes the way in whichanekāntavādasustains a real connection between karmic matter and the soul (jı̄va) and so maintains the rationale for identity defining ascetic practice. The social and religious dangers of one-sided (ekānta) views for the Jaina tradition are demonstrated by a consideration of the Digambara teacher Kundakunda's idiosyncratic use of the two truths model of reality. |
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| ISSN: | 0048-721X 1096-1151 |
| DOI: | 10.1006/reli.1995.0006 |