THE PATTERN OF THE Jain seven-fold syadvda is sufficiently peculiar, when compared with other types of logical theory, to stimulate curiosity concerning how it arose and what, if any, relations it may have with other significant patterns. Jain doctrine' presupposes the existence of something which manifests itself through many aspects, each of which may be truly asserted to exist or to be that existent. Since many different and opposing aspects exist, each existent may be truly asserted to exist as both the one aspect (e.g., as permanent) and as its opposite aspect (e.g., as impermanent) and as something more than can be expressed by this, or any, pair of opposing aspects (i.e., as "indescribable"). The pattern may be illustrated thus: (1) "The pot is permanent." (2) "The pot is impermanent." (3) "The pot is both permanent and impermanent." (4) "The pot is 'indescribable.'" (5) "The pot is both permanent and 'indescribable.'" (6) "The pot is both impermanent and 'indescribable.'" (7) "The pot is both permanent and impermanent and 'indescribable.'" The importance of the principle of four-cornered negation in Indian philosophy2 as a clue to something ultimate about Indian ideals is but slowly penetrating the minds of Western thinkers. The principle occurred early (it recurs repeatedly in the Buddhist Pitakas) and persistently. It may be stated as follows: "X is neither a, nor non-a, nor both a and non-a, nor neither a nor non-a."