Jain Philosophy : Historical Outline

Contents: Preface. I. Introduction: 1. The Jains as they are. 2. Researches on Jainism. 3. Literary sources. 4. Archaeological sources: architecture and sculpture. 5. Archaeological sources: the epigraphs. 6. Parsva and Mahavira. 7. Ecclesiastical history. II. The incipient stage: 1. The prehistory of Jainism. 2. The historical background. 3. Material basis of the great intellectual movement. 4. The conflicts in the history of Indian thought. 5. Contemporary philosophical schools. 6. Purana Kassapa. 7. Pakudha Kaccayana. 8. Makkhali Gosala. 9. Sanjaya Belatthiputta. 10. Ajita Kesakambalin. 11. Social experiences of Mahavira. 12. The social basis of Jain ethics. III. The sophisticated stage: 1. Jainism and Indian philosophical tradition. 2. Jain Atheism. 3. Jain logic. 4. Scientific enquiries: cosmology. 5. Scientific enquiries: classification of Jiva. 6. Scientific enquiries: biology, physiology, etc. 7. Scientific enquiries: diseases and medicines. 8. Scientific enquiries: astronomy. 9. Scientific enquiries: atomism. 10. Jain cosmography. 11. The unfounded speculations and their ethical considerations. 12. The nine fundamentals and the doctrine of Karma. 13. Classification of Karma and the Gunasthanas. 14. A review of the Jain metaphysics. 15. Theory of knowledge. 16. Psychological ingredients. 17. The non-absolutist standpoint. IV. A comparative study: 1. Jainism and Vedic tradition. 2. Jainism and Buddhism. 3. Jainism and Ajivikism. 4. Jainism and materialism. 5. Jainism and samkhya. 6. Jainism and Yoga. 7. Jainism and Mimamsa. 8. Jainism and Nyaya-Vaisesika. 9. Jainism and Vedanta. 10. A subjectwise comparative study of the systems. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.

"Jain Philosophy: Historical Outline interprets the fundamentals of Jain philosophy from the viewpoint of their historical genesis and development and shows that the incipient stage of the Jain thought-complex agreed totally with the pythagorean approach to philosophy which was based on observed realities and was quite in harmony with the existing socio-political conditions of the time of Lord Mahavira while the sophisticated stage marked by the a priori doctrines and dogmas it had generated in course of its development and by the traditionally floating ideas in regard to the belief in a eternal moral order in the universe, the law of karma, ignorance as the cause of bondage and knowledge as that of liberation, the efficacy of meditation, and so forth, was a persistent juxtaposition in the evolutionary stages of the former. Since no system of Indian philosophy allows a purely isolated treatment, a comparative study of all the philosophical systems has been made here to determine the real nature of the Jain standpoint with more emphasis on the original dynamism of Jainism which had contributed to the growth of various natural sciences, including those of biology and astronomy, on the total rejection of the concept of a supernatural agent in the form of God, on the theories of valid knowledge and on the unique logical system based on the principles of relativity." (jacket)

[Narendra Nath Bhattacharyya teaches in the Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta.]