Notion of Growth

SR No.: 006735
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hermann Kuhn
Publisher: Crosswind Publishing Germany
Total Pages: 202
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 8 MB

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VI
Hermann Kuhn
The Tattvarthasutra
The Tattvarthasutra is about 1800 years old. Its title translates 'The Aphorisms describing the Purpose of Reality'. It was written in the second or third century AD by the Indian sage Umaswami, who condensed all Jaina knowledge of his time in this one work.
The Beginning
Though the beginning of Jainism is often associated with the life of its last prophet Mahavir (599 to 527 BC), the knowledge is known to be far older. Early Jaina artifacts have been found in the Indus Valley Culture, the oldest Asian civilization (approx. 3000 BC) and the Jains' own historic records reach even further back. The Jains regard the Tattvarthasutra as their central scripture.
Sutras (short statements) and their interpretation through commentaries originated in times when paper and other means of material recording did not exist. Knowledge was learnt by heart and handed down orally from generation to generation. Sutras therefore were kept as brief as possible. They were governed by precise rules which for example defined the weight of a word by its position alone. To keep knowledge pure, even the commentators followed exact rules. This method worked with such precision that highly complex information conceived thousands of years ago reached our present times with hardly any distortion.
To someone raised in a Western cultural environment, the transfer of knowledge by brief sutras may appear strange and unfamiliar at first. Complex rules and the formal style can easily block access to these works, especially when translated literally and close to the original text.
But even though the knowledge of the Tattvarthasutra originated millennia ago, it proves extremely relevant to our present times. The current search for purpose beyond mate