How do you like it when someone says that to you? Is it meant to be a compliment or criticism? Many a times, even very nice ideas fall apart when it comes to practical application.
Jainism, one of the very ancient Indian schools of philosophy, has many such puzzling things. With all high respect for the great masters of this school, I often see many contradictions in their way of thinking, however much they were well intended.
For example, a Jain saint covers his nose and mouth with a cloth to prevent any insect accidentally entering his body and getting killed. Similarly, he cleans any place before he sits down to avoid harming any creature which may be in that place. Even while walking he does not press his feet hard on the ground to avoid trampling on any life form. That is Ahimsa or non-violence to the core.
But look at it closely. Can anyone really practice it? The saint who starves or tortures his body in the process of severe penances, is he not committing violence on his own body? Even when he covers his nose and mouth, is he really avoiding harm altogether? There could be infinitely many micro-organisms present in the food he eats. Many of them get killed when they enter his body. Just because he cannot see them, is he absolved of harming them? If you think deeply, there is no way one can live without harming someone or other. So, non-violence sounds great but is it really practicable?
Jains have another lofty ideal. They fully agree with whatever their opponents say! According to them truth is relative. From the opponent’s point of view what he sees is the truth. But someone else may see it differently. So, there is nothing like absolute truth. Everything has multiple facets. Depending on which facet you focus on, you see that in that particular way. This is the well-known AnEkaantha Vaada theory of the Jains.
Many among us often subscribe to this great view point. They agree with anything and everything. They don’t hold any specific view. But unfortunately, often it is a sign of ignorance and not generosity!
Let us get back to the AnEkaantha Vaada theory of the Jains.
The word AnEkaantha Vaada literally means the theory of multiple facets. Do you remember the five blind men and the elephant story that I talked about in the very beginning of this series? Jains have their own version of that story. For a change, they talk about 7 blind men! Each of these 7 blind men ‘see’ the elephant in their own way and no two of them agrees with the other 😉. And obviously, none has any idea of what the elephant really is!
The Jains explain their theory as follows.
When it comes to talking about the existence of anything, it can be seen in seven different ways, they say. The thing may exist, it may not exist, it may exist as well as not exist, it may exist but you can’t express it as such, it may not exist and you can’t express it as such either, it may exist as well as not exist and you can’t express it definitely, and finally, it is altogether inexpressible! Whatever statement you make about existence of anything, it falls under these 7 possibilities. And all these are partial truths and not absolute truths. Truth depends on your viewpoint exactly the way the blind men see the elephant!
The Buddhists say that no soul exists since every thing keeps changing. They are right from their point of view. But the Brahma supporters say that there is soul. They are also right from their point of view. Some others may argue in one of the remaining 5 possible ways about the soul. All of them are right – only partially.
Jains agree that the eternal soul does not exist because things keep changing and nothing remains permanent. That is the Buddhist view. But what is ‘that’ we talk about as changing? And ‘that’ is the soul that the Brahma supporters are talking about. So, Jains also agree that the soul exists! But they add a qualifier that the soul is not unchanging. That is something that the Brahma supporters disagree with. Let us see why, later.
How nice it would have been if everyone agrees with the viewpoints of the opponent. The world would be free from all hatred and animosity. That way, the Jains have magnanimous and all accommodating view. Why should anyone have any problem with such people?
But the Brahma supporters are not taken so easily by this generosity of the Jains. They view this as a nice tactic of the Jains to shoot down their opponents. Whatever the theories that the Brahma supporters put forth, the Jains can brush them aside by saying “maybe you are right, maybe you are not!”
What is wrong with such a passive opposition? Let us see the fierce refutation of this AnEkaantha Vaada theory of the Jains by the Brahma supporters, in the next episode.
A series on ancient Indian composition Brahma Sutra. © Dr. King, Swami Satyapriya 2020-21
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