Philosophy in Jainism

Jain philosophy is built on a claim about knowledge before it is a claim about conduct: that reality has infinite aspects, and that any single standpoint captures only one of them.

From this follow the two doctrines the tradition is best known for. Anekantavada, the many-sidedness of reality, holds that a thing can be truly described in several apparently conflicting ways depending on the standpoint taken. Syadvada formalises this into seven conditioned predications, each prefixed by syat - "in some respect". The ethical doctrine of ahimsa is continuous with this rather than separate from it: a person who genuinely holds that their own view is partial has far less ground for the certainty that violence requires. Jain metaphysics is dualistic, dividing everything that exists into jiva, the sentient, and ajiva, the insentient, and is atheistic in the specific sense that it posits no creator - the universe is uncreated, eternal, and governed by its own laws.

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In-depth guides

  • Das Lakshana Parva — Ten days, ten virtues: the Digambara observance that follows Samvatsari, taken one dharma at a time.