jain non absolutism - sudhir shah
TRANSCRIPT
Jain Non-Absolutism
Creating Harmony amidst Differences
by Sudhir M. Shah
Ancient Jain Aphorism
All life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence.
Parasparopgreaho Jivanam
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”— Chardin
Let’s set the Context
Three pillars of Jainism
Non-violence (Ahimsa)Respect for the life of all beingsleading to compassionate living and selfless service
Non-absolutism (Anekantavad)
Respect for the views of othersleading to mutual understanding and harmonious co-existence
Non-possessiveness (Aparigraha)Non-attachmentLeading to limiting use of resources and ethical living
Non-absolutism (Anekantvad)
MahavirOne of the most revolutionary and radical thinkers of all times
“To deny the co-existence of mutually conflicting viewpoints about a thing would mean to deny the
true nature of reality”- Acharang Sutra
What is Anekantvad?
An(non) ek(one) ant(end) väd(ness)• Simply put, avoiding a single absolute conclusion or non-absolute thinking
• It is a doctrine of multi-facetedness of reality
Non-Absolutism
• A theory of knowledge that can support dialogue and negotiation among people of diverse perspectives and claims.
• It is respect for the views of the other Thereby establishing a basis for reconciling
conflicting ideological claims.
Non-Absolutism
All claims of “truth” are Relative or Non-absolute Truth is expressed in many ways One cannot make definite statement about Truth, each
statement is true in its own limited sense To understand the nature of Existence, one requires the
vision of seeing an entity from all perspectives - this is Anekantvad
Non-absolutism (Anekantvad)
Syadvad( Logic of Relativity)
All knowledge claims are only tentative“X may be Y” or “X is Y under certain conditions” rather than “X is Y”
Differences are fact of life
• Anytime there is more than one person, there is more than one opinion
• When beliefs or actions of one or more members of a group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group, there is potential for a conflict.
Creating Harmony
Amidst Differences
Listening Without Judgment
Recognize Filters
Respect for the views of the other
Win-winAbundance
Respect• A respectful attitude acknowledges other person’s rights,
wishes and needs• It yields to another’s wishes and needs, not out of fear or
pity, but through acknowledging their validity.• Respect acknowledges the value and importance of who a
person is, as well as their needs.• Respect is the attitude that motivates one to truly serve
another because he or she deserves it.
…WORDS
Conflicts begin with…
…Thoughts
Respectful Communication Training
…Action
Respectful Communication
1. Observation2. Feeling3. Need4. Request
Inclusiveness Training
Seeking alternate viewsCelebrating diversity
“I do not want people to just tolerate each other, I want them to understand and respect each other”
“It has been my experience that I am always right from my point of view and wrong from the point of view of my honest critics. I know that we both
are right and this knowledge saves me from attributing motives to my opponents and critics”.
- Mahatma Gandhi in Young India 1925
Practice in daily life!
Don’t forget the BASICS
• “Accept not what I say as truth because it is backed by tradition, or because it is the law of the land, or because it sounds good, or because it comes from your teacher. Accept as truth only that which is sagaciously acceptable to reason as well as sentiment”. - Anguttar Nikaya