The Relationship of Jain Epistemology to its Ontology and Soteriology

Summary

Arvind Sharma’s article tackles the interplay between Jain epistemology, ontology and soteriology. Some scholars, he notes, treat the Jain doctrine of relativistic epistemology (anekāntavāda and syādvāda) as an isolated curiosity. A.L. Basham discusses Jain epistemology only in an appendix to his survey of Indian history, suggesting that it is peripheral to the system, while early twentieth‑century writer Sinclair Stevenson famously characterised the Jains as proud of their ‘particular philosophy’ of the sevenfold predication. Sharma counters this view by demonstrating that epistemology in Jainism is integrated with its metaphysics and path to liberation. He reminds readers that Jains classify reality into nine categories (jīva, ajīva, puṇya, pāpa, āsrava, saṃvara, bandha, nirjarā and mokṣa) and that knowledge of these categories is essential for attaining deliverance. Jain epistemology, with its insistence on the manifoldness of truth, is designed to prevent dogmatism and to cultivate humility; in practical terms it guides the soul to make accurate judgments about the nature of karmic bondage and the means of freeing itself. Sharma identifies three ways in which epistemology connects to ontology: it acknowledges that substances possess infinite attributes; it recognises both permanence and change (dravya vs. paryāya) and thus supports the possibility of spiritual progress; and it affirms that the soul’s bound state is real yet relative, while its liberated state embodies absolute knowledge. He then links epistemology to soteriology by noting that right knowledge (samyag‑jñāna) arises when perception, inference and testimony are properly integrated; partial views generate attachment and aversion, binding karmic matter to the soul. The doctrine of syādvāda, by teaching that statements are true only from particular standpoints, encourages equanimity and non‑violence and thus helps arrest the influx of karma (saṃvara). The article critiques the assumption that free will and determinism are mutually exclusive, pointing out that Jainism reconciles them: actions are conditioned by past karma yet the soul possesses the capacity for self‑restraint, and the fully emancipated soul – surveying the universe from the summit of existence – apprehends absolute truth. Sharma concludes that Jain epistemology cannot be divorced from the broader worldview; it is a practical tool that leads the practitioner from limited knowledge to omniscience and liberation. By integrating epistemology with ontology and soteriology, Jainism offers a coherent system in which metaphysical understanding informs ethical practice and spiritual progress.