Pristine Jainism

...According to Shri S.M. Jain, Pristine Jainism which emphasised rational activity and good conduct as preached and practised by liberated souls, the Arhats, is now overwhelmed by rituals and ostentatious display of wealth in the name of and on the pretext of Bhakti. He argues that the precepts of Jainism are simple and are based on scientific principles of cause and affect and on an understanding of the chain of action, reaction and interaction. He makes a plea for rationality in belief, thought and action and a plea for the rejection of rituals and superstitions. He underlines the contradiction between the Jain concept of Samyakatva rooted in an objective and rational perception of reality, that which is and Mithyatva which leads to an unreal and erroneous understanding and conduct. He shows that the Jain doctrine favours Purushartha and exhorts against inaction, which Jainism dubs as Pramad. He challenges various forms of ritual worship and interprets Jain teachings in the perspective of scientific rationality at the heart of which is the principle of symbiosis or interdependence of life at all levels and in all its manifestations.....

L.M. Singhvi

S.M. Jain