The paper analyses the beginnings of systematic ontology in Jainism, which appears to have began after first century CE, albeit certain ontology-relevant terminology in a nascent form was present earlier. A clear expression of systematic ontological reflection is the existence of models that organize ideas and categories in a more consistent conceptual scheme. Jainism follows similar developments that had earlier taken shape in in the early Buddhist Abhidharma, proto-Sāṁkhya-Yoga and proto-Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika. In addition, the paper argues that the models, five in total, can be used as a methodological tool to distinguish various historical layers in early Jaina writings.

该论文分析了耆那教系统本体论的开端，该系统本体论似乎始于公元一世纪之后，尽管某些新生形式的本体论相关术语更早出现。系统本体论反思的一个明确表达是存在以更一致的概念方案组织思想和类别的模型。耆那教遵循类似的发展，这些发展早在早期的佛教阿毗达磨、原始僧伽瑜伽和原始 Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika 中已经形成。此外，该论文认为，总共五个模型可以用作区分早期耆那教著作中各个历史层次的方法论工具。