The Concept of Divinity in Jainism

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There is earnestness about the author, a spirit of involvement with his subject that draws attention. His erudition is evident, but erudition sometimes becomes an end in itself, obfuscating the question that inspires inquiry. Dr. Kothari's erudition al lows room for living thought.

Religion, we almost spontaneously assume, is about the Divine. But religion is not a singular word. Religions exist in the plural. If religion is about the Divine, different religions, it would be natural to think, have different concepts regarding the nature of divinity. For any student of religion or philosophy, this points at an important area of inquiry: To explore distinctions between the 'divinity' on which different religions are based. But there can be a serious hurdle here. One could raise a more fundamental question: Do all religions share the concept of Divinity? We tend to equate divinity with God. The idea of the 'Divine' is usually, and even perhaps for some, necessarily, synonymous with the concept of God a Creator, who is omnipotent and omniscient (as in Islam, Christianity and some forms of Hinduism). But such a God, clearly, is not the basis of all religions. In some religions He is conspicuous by his absence. Buddhism is an obvious example. Jainism, which is older but which took roots in the same historical milieu of culture and thought as Buddhism, is another. It is almost a truism to say that not all religions are founded on faith in an all-knowing, all-powerful creator.

I consider it a privilege to be invited to write this foreword to the book 'The concept of Divinity with special reference to Jainism', which I regard as a significant contribution in the field of Jain philosophy. Dr. Kothari has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy on this remarkable thesis which seeks to communicate and revitalize the important aspect of Jainism that the Jains do not believe in God as a creator of the Universe but every individual soul can attain godhood, divinity, by observing self-discipline. The author has covered in this book various theories and concepts of Jainism including Jain karma theory, the concept of soul, and spiritual development of soul. The best part of this book is the chapter on the divinity of Jainism and its comparison with Buddhism and Hinduism.

Though the subject of the thesis is not a new one but with the advent of science this subject has been gaining tremendous importance every day. We cannot forget Einstein's famous question about whether had any choice in creating the universe? A living physicist of our time, the Lucasian Professor, Stephen Hawking attempts to write that a universe may be finite and with no boundaries, no edge in space, no beginning or end in time and therefore nothing a creator to do. It is true that out of all ancient religions it is only Jainism that has believed that the universe is eternal, working by its inherent laws and not created by any God or Supreme Being. According to Jain philosophy it is the matter and the soul, the two realities which are responsible for the existence of the universe. Jains believe that the universe has no beginning and no end. While reading the views of S. Hawking for the universe, it is felt as if some Jain master is giving his views about the universe. The author of this book has presented the concept of divinity so clearly and with such lucidity that it can be utilized in the field of physical sciences.

There is a belief that God exists as the Supreme Divine being, who is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of all that exists in the universe and who controls every activity therein. As postulated by religions, the, main attributes of God are- omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. It is generally believed by many, that Jainism is an atheistic religion having no belief in God. This is not true. Jainism believes in God but not in a creator God. It believes in Godhood, which a man can attain by observing the Jain discipline. A man is a potential divine, i.e., a man can attain godhood, divinity. We observe in Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism that a man can either have unification with God or have nearness (fellowship) of God. This encouraged me to take up the present comprehensive study, research concentrating on the study of Divinity in Jainism, and also a comparative, though by no means exhaustive, review of concept of Divinity in Hinduism and Buddhism. Accordingly, the present research work on "The concept of Divinity with special reference to Jainism" is divided into the six chapters.

The first chapter titled, 'The Concept of Divinity at a Glance', deals with the meaning and introduction to some aspects of Divinity in some of the religions of the world. The second chapter 'The Concept of Divinity in Hinduism' puts forth the attributes of Vedic and Upanishadic gods. The third chapter reviews 'The Concept of Divinity in Buddhism', wherein Divinity is referred as Buddhatva or Nirvana. The fourth chapter is devoted to 'The Concept Of Divinity In Jainism - I : Funda mentals', the path to Moksha, the eternal state of Divineness. In the fifth chapter 'The Concept of Divinity in Jainism', the concept itself is studied and discussed. The last chapter titled 'Conclusion' compares and contrasts the view points of Hindu ism, Buddhism and Jainism.

**Contents and Sample Pages**