Jainism – What is Reality?

  It is real as well as unreal and

-        It is universal as well as particular.

-        It is permanent as well as momentary.

-        It is one as well as many.

Reality has infinite aspects which are all relative and Reality has infinite aspects which are all relative and we can know only some of these aspects all our judgements

Syadvada or Sapta Bhangi Naya is the theory of relativity of knowledge. It means dialectic of the seven steps or the theory of seven fold judgement. The word Syad, literally means probable, perhaps may be and sayadvada is sometimes translated as the theory of probability or the doctrine of may be. But it is not in the literal sense of probability that the word syad is used here. Probability, suggests scepticism and Jainism is not scepticism sometimes the word syad is translated as somehow but this too smacks of agnosticism and Jainism is not agnosticism. The word syad is used here in the sense of the relative and the correct translation of syadvada is the theory of relativity of knowledge. Reality has infinite aspects which are all relative and we can knowledge. Reality has infinite aspects which are all relative and we can know only some of these aspects all our judgements and therefore are necessarily relative, conditional and limited.  Relatively speaking or viewed from a particular view from a particular view point which is necessarily related to other viewpoints must precede all over judgements. Absolute affirmation and absolute negation both are wrong. All judgements are conditional.  This is not a self contradictory position because the very nature of reality of reality is indeterminate and infinitely complex and because affirmation and negation both are not mould from the same standpoint. The difficultly of predication is solved by maintaining that the subject and the predicate are identical from the point of view of substance and different from the point of view of modes. Hence categorical or absolute predication is ruled out as erroneous. All judgements are double edged. Affirmation presupposes negation as much as negation pre supposes affirmation. The infinitely complex reality admits of all opposites predicated from different stand points.

-        It is real as well as unreal and

-        It is universal as well as particular.

-        It is permanent as well as momentary.

-        It is one as well as many.

It is view from the point of view of substance – it is real, universal, permanent and one.

Viewed from the point of modes- it is unreal, particular, momentary and many.

Almost apply philosophical ideological and religious differences and disputes are mainly because to mistaking a partial truth for the whole truth. Our judgments represent different aspects of the many sides reality and can claim only partial truth. This view makes Jainism catholic broad It really respect for others point of view.

Now we can know an object in three ways through—mistaking partial truth for the whole and the absolute truth or bad judgement for example the insistence that an object is absolutely real. 

-        A mere statement of a relative truth without calling it either absolute or relative is called judgment for example the statement that an object is real.

-        A statement of a partial truth, knowing that it is only partial, relative and conditional and have possibility of being differently interpreted from different points of view is called valid judgment.

Every Naya or judgment in order to become permanence must be qualified Syat that is relative to be the symbol of truth. It is relative and successive knowledge. It removes all contradictions among different points of view. To reject syad is to embrace unwarranted absolutism which is directly contradicted by experience.

Everything exist from the point of view of its own substance, specs, time and form and it does not exist from the point of view of others’ substance, space, time and form.

Jainism’s logic distinguishes seven forms of judgments

-        Relatively a thing is real

-         Relatively a thing is unreal

-        Relatively a thing is both real and unreal

-        Relatively a thing is indescribable

-        Relatively a thing is real and is indescribable

-        Relatively a thing is unreal and is indescribable

-        Relatively a thing is real, unreal and indescribable

From the point of view of one’s own substance everything  is while from the point of view of others substance, everything is not, assume have just remarked that we can know a thing in relation to its own matter, form, space and time and it becomes a negative entity. When we affirm the different stand points successively we het the third judgement-a thing is both incapable of being describe and complex, real and unreal. If we affirm or deny both existence and non existence simultaneously to anything and if we assert or negate the two different aspects of being and non being together the thing baffles and description it becomes indescribable. That means either both real and unreal simultaneously or neither real nor unreal thus is the fourth judgment the remaining theories are controversial of the fourth judgment with the first second and third respectively.

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