.... The nature of truth Mahāvīra employed anekānta extensively to explain the Jain philosophical concepts (painting from Rajasthan, ca. 1900) Main article: Anekantavada One of the most important and fundamental doctrines of Jainism is anēkāntavāda. It refers to the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, and to the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, no single one of which is complete.[20][21] Jains contrast all attempts to proclaim absolute truth with this theory, which can be illustrated through the parable of the blind men and an elephant. In this story, each blind man feels a different part of an elephant: its trunk, leg, ear, and so on. All of them claim to understand and explain the true appearance of the elephant but, due to their limited perspectives, can only partly succeed.[22] This principle is more formally stated by observing that objects are infinite in their qualities and modes of existence, so they cannot be completely grasped in all aspects and manifestations by finite human perception. Only Kevalis—omniscient beings—can comprehend objects in all aspects and manifestations; others are only capable of partial knowledge.[23] Accordingly, no single, specific, human view can claim to represent absolute truth! Boys, pl... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 06:11:42 +0000
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