Jainism

Summary

The article is a lecture by Virchand R. Gandhi summarising the essential principles of Jainism. It begins by stating that any religion must be studied from all standpoints – its ideas about the universe, God, the soul and the laws of life. In India, religion and philosophy are identical, and religion does not differ from science; the Jaina idea of bliss consists not in dependence but in independence. The highest life is one in which the soul, the highest entity, is independent. Gandhi explains that Jain philosophy holds the universe to be eternal and not created; it is not permanent or transitory but undergoes continuous cycles. To understand ideas properly we must look at them from multiple standpoints; the author refers to the parable of the blind men and the elephant to illustrate the doctrine of anekantavada (non‑one‑sidedness). A single statement may be both true and false depending on the standpoint; Jain logic uses the doctrine of syadvada (the “maybe” doctrine) to express conditional predication and avoid dogmatic assertions. The article outlines the Jain concept of soul: every living being possesses an independent, indestructible soul with inherent knowledge and bliss. The soul becomes bound to matter through karma; liberation is achieved by shedding karmic matter through right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. Gandhi summarises the five great vows – non‑violence, truth, non‑stealing, chastity and non‑attachment – and emphasises compassion for all living beings. He argues that Jain ethics require strict vegetarianism and careful conduct to avoid harm to even the smallest life. Jainism recognises the relativity of truth and promotes tolerance because each soul perceives reality from its own perspective. The religion emphasises self‑effort rather than dependence on a creator and rejects ritual sacrifices that harm life. The article concludes with a discussion of how Jainism contributes to social peace, environmental conservation and scientific outlook.