The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c3: Preface
The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c3
- Language
- English
Preface
c3.1
When in 1934 the original edition of this book, “Die Lehre der Jainas, nach den alten Quellen dargestellt” (Grundriss der indo-arischen Philologie und Altertumskunde Vol. III No. 7), had been published, there were voices from India regretting that the book had not been written in English and demanding for a translation. Of the various projects regarding such a version none has been effected until the matter was taken up by the reputed publishers whose names appear on the title-page of this English book. The present writer is highly indebted to the able translator, Herr Wolfgang Beurlen, with whom to collaborate was a pleasure at all stages of the difficult task.
c3.2
In harmony with the character of the “Grundriss” certain limits had to be respected. Often outlines and references had to suffice, though, especially in the first chapters, the description thus came near to a sketch. The author consciously neglected the treatment of other religious and philosophical systems and historical facts of Old as well as of Mediaeval and New India in order not only to avoid an excessive extent of the book, but also, eventually, to give the old sources, i. e. the Śvetāmbara Canon, their due, but not neglecting Digambara writers. It need not be said that it was impossible to render all details themselves or even to register all references to the same. Hence the reader must be warned against taking this book for a bibliography or an encyclopedia. The names of the Jain authors and Jain works can but serve to indicate the untiring zeal of scholars and the grand liberality of donators in favour of their noble religion. That the bibliographical survey of the first edition has been altogether dropped seems to be excusable, since the conditions of the present epoch did not allow of bringing forward a survey of all that in the mean time had been printed and published on the field of Jainism in India.
c3.3
On the other hand our Jain friends might come to obtain an idea of what much has been accomplished by Western scholars—including many Germans—during a period of about one hundred and fifty years, burning the midnight-oil with a view to make the world acquainted with one of the finest products of the Indian mind.
c3.4
It may be hoped that the results will be, in general, applauded by Jain circles and that errors and shortcomings, inevitable as they are in such vast a field, will be kindly excused.
c3.5
मैं अल्पज्ञ बहुत दोषी हूँ । यह ग्रन्थ है महान ॥
मिथ्यालाप दुष्कृत्य करूँ । सुधार जो विद्वान ॥
c3.6
(अमोलक ऋषि)
c3.7
General 247 Community 248 Ranks 253 Outfit 256 Daily Life 260 Study 266 Begging Tour 270 Asceticism 274 Confession and Atonement 278 Lay Folk 284 Death 288
c3.8
VII. Victory . . . . . 291 Similes 291 Human Character 292 Influence (aṇhaya) and Stoppage (saṃvara) 296 Lay Vows 297 Monastic Vows 300 Control 304 Ethics 305 Reflections 307 Resistance 308 Right Conduct 310 Asceticism 311 Meditation 313 Miracles and Magic 316 Conditions of Karman 319 guṇatthāṇa and seḍhi 320 Annihilation 324 Kevalin 327 Siddha 328