Acharya Prashant explains that the principle of Anekantavada or Syadvada in Jain philosophy is the foundation of non-violence. He states that violence begins when one has firm belief in their own existence and reaches conclusions with certainty. Anekantavada implies that nothing is fixed or certain, which prevents one from declaring another person wrong and thus prevents violence. This philosophy strikes at the root of the ego, which seeks final statements and conclusions to stand upon. By questioning one's own correctness, the edge of one's attitude toward others is removed, turning the individual into a perpetual seeker who never claims to be a knower. Acharya Prashant further clarifies that without fixed conclusions, even suffering cannot exist, as suffering requires the internal certainty that something bad has definitely happened. Anekantavada suggests that since one cannot be sure if an event is good or bad, one cannot be established in either sorrow or happiness, leading to liberation. He concludes that true humility lies in not claiming to have understood or not understood, as both are definitive conclusions.
