Jaina Sutras, Part I

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Jaina Sutras, Part I by Hermann Jacobi, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hermann Jacobi ISBN: 9781465578228
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Hermann Jacobi
ISBN: 9781465578228
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English
THE origin and development of the Gaina sect is a subject on which some scholars still think it safe to speak with a sceptical caution, though this seems little warranted by the present state of the whole question; for a large and ancient literature has been made accessible, and furnishes ample materials for the early history of the sect to all who are willing to collect them. Nor is the nature of these materials such as to make us distrust them. We know that the sacred books of the Gainas are old, avowedly older than the Sanskrit literature which we are accustomed to call classical. Regarding their antiquity, many of those books can vie with the oldest books of the northern Buddhists. As the latter works have successfully been used as materials for the history of Buddha and Buddhism, we can find no reason why we should distrust the sacred books of the Gainas as an authentic source of their history. If they were full of contradictory statements, or the dates contained in them would lead to contradictory conclusions, we should be justified in viewing all theories based on such materials with suspicion. But the character of the Gaina literature differs little in this respect also from the Buddhistical, at least from that of the northern Buddhists. How is it then that so many writers are inclined to accord a different age and origin to the Gaina sect from what can be deduced from their own literature? The obvious reason is the similarity, real or apparent, which European scholars have discovered between Gainism and Buddhism. Two sects which have so much in common could not, it was thought, have been independent from each other, but one sect must needs have grown out of, or branched off from the other. This â priori opinion has prejudiced the discernment of many critics, and still does so. In the following pages I shall try to destroy this prejudice, and to vindicate that authority and credit of the sacred books of the Gainas to which they are entitled. We begin our discussion with an inquiry about Mahâvîra, the founder or, at least, the last prophet of the Gaina church. It will be seen that enough is known of him to invalidate the suspicion that he is a sort of mystical person, invented or set up by a younger sect some centuries after the pretended age of their assumed founder.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
THE origin and development of the Gaina sect is a subject on which some scholars still think it safe to speak with a sceptical caution, though this seems little warranted by the present state of the whole question; for a large and ancient literature has been made accessible, and furnishes ample materials for the early history of the sect to all who are willing to collect them. Nor is the nature of these materials such as to make us distrust them. We know that the sacred books of the Gainas are old, avowedly older than the Sanskrit literature which we are accustomed to call classical. Regarding their antiquity, many of those books can vie with the oldest books of the northern Buddhists. As the latter works have successfully been used as materials for the history of Buddha and Buddhism, we can find no reason why we should distrust the sacred books of the Gainas as an authentic source of their history. If they were full of contradictory statements, or the dates contained in them would lead to contradictory conclusions, we should be justified in viewing all theories based on such materials with suspicion. But the character of the Gaina literature differs little in this respect also from the Buddhistical, at least from that of the northern Buddhists. How is it then that so many writers are inclined to accord a different age and origin to the Gaina sect from what can be deduced from their own literature? The obvious reason is the similarity, real or apparent, which European scholars have discovered between Gainism and Buddhism. Two sects which have so much in common could not, it was thought, have been independent from each other, but one sect must needs have grown out of, or branched off from the other. This â priori opinion has prejudiced the discernment of many critics, and still does so. In the following pages I shall try to destroy this prejudice, and to vindicate that authority and credit of the sacred books of the Gainas to which they are entitled. We begin our discussion with an inquiry about Mahâvîra, the founder or, at least, the last prophet of the Gaina church. It will be seen that enough is known of him to invalidate the suspicion that he is a sort of mystical person, invented or set up by a younger sect some centuries after the pretended age of their assumed founder.

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book Trif and Trixy: A Story of a Dreadfully Delightful Little Girl and her Adoring and Tormented Parents, Relations, and Friends by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Cecil Rhodes: Man and Empire-Maker by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Sulamith: A Romance of Antiquity by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Histoire De La Prostitution Chez Tous Les Peuples Du Monde Depuis L'antiquité La Plus Reculée Jusqu'à Nos Jours, Tome I by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Bundling; Its Origin, Progress and Decline in America by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Mr. Punch's Golf Stories by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Sur la pierre blanche et Pierre Nozière by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book The Fisher Girl by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book The Rover's Secret: A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons of Cuba by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book The American Indian as Slaveholder and Seccessionist: An Omitted Chapter in the Diplomatic History of the Southern Confederacy by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Wellington's Army 1809-1814 by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book The Mystery of the Four Fingers by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book How Women Love: (Soul Analysis) by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Caesar's Wife: A Comedy in Three Acts by Hermann Jacobi
Cover of the book Heroic Legends of Ireland by Hermann Jacobi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy