The distinguishing mark of the fourth stages is that the soul has belief
in the path of liberation but is unable to observe the rules of conduct
for attaining liberation; the thought-activity characterizing this stage
is that the soul has destroyed excessive anger, pride and greed but not
entirely escaped from their influence. In this stage, the Jiva
however develops the power of curbing anger (Prasam), the
realization that the world is evil (sanvaig), the capacity for
non-attachment (nirvaid), compassion (anucampa) and true faith (astikya).
In the fifth stage (Daishvarti) the desire to realize the objective
by the proper regulation of conduct first manifests itself, and the
individual takes partial vows, e.g., the vow not to drink intoxicant or
eat flesh (madyamanstyag) or to keep all twelve vows of a
householder (Shremanropasek) or to maintain absolute chastity etc.
The sixth stage (Premet) can be ascended by a professed ascetic,
who renounces all worldly objects, and who controls even the slight
passions. But as yet the jiva remains slack in concentration. By
further effort the soul mounts to the seventh stage (Apremat) when
renouncing all carelessness, it becomes fully absorbed in spiritual
contemplation. From the seventh stage onwards the path of ascent follows
two different routes, (1) the route in which the several
right-conduct-deluding karmas become quiescent and controlled, and
(2) the route in which they get actually destroyed. Thus the eighth stage
(Apoorvkerenr) marked by an absolute control or conquest of pride
and consequently by an unusual intensification of the power of meditation
and concentration. That is the beginning of the first Sukla-dhyana
pure concentration and gives a joy to the jiva the like of which he
has never experienced before. The ninth stage is marked by an absolute
control or conquest of deceit and consequently, by a special thought
activity of still greater purity. The tenth stage (Sookshemsampraye)
is marked by an absolute control or conquest of greed the last of the
great passions. From the tenth stage the soul that has followed the route
of actual destruction of the karmas directly mounts to the twelfth
stage which is characterized by complete freedom from all the Ghati-karmas
and which inevitably leads to the attainment of Kevala-jnana;
but the ascetic who has followed the route of merely controlling the
karmas instead of destroying them has to pass through the eleventh stage (Upshantmoh)
which is a really critical experience. The subsided karma may at
any time “like a flood burst its dam, and force of its current may carry
the soul far down the slope he has been climbing, depositing him on either
the sixth or the seventh step, or even on the lowest.”
There is no falling back from the twelfth stage, because the Ghati-karmas
have already been destroyed; and although the Aghati-karmas
still persist, they have little power to bind the soul and “can be snapped
as easily as piece of burnt string.” So limited the fact is the power of
the Aghati-karma that at death a soul passes at once through
the two remaining stages and enters Moksa without delay. The
thirteenth stage (Senyogikaiveli) is that of a vibrating perfect
soul, that is to say, when the soul has after the destruction of the
obstructive karmas, obtained the Kevala but continues to
retain its human body; and the fourteenth and last stage (Ayogi
kevali) is that of the vibration-less perfect soul, that is to say,
when the perfect soul is leaving its human body in order to proceed to
Moksa there to reside for ever in perpetual peace and bliss above the
land called Siddhasila.
Tirthankara:
Mahavira was now in the Thirteenth stage of his spiritual career. He had
purged away all his Ghati-karmas and had consequently
attained Kevala-jnana and Kevala-darsana. Now
he devoted himself to the noble task of the active propagation of the
truth and for this purpose of organizing the community or Tirtha,
he assumed the role of the Tirthankara.
The difference between a Tirthankara and any other Kevalin
consists in just this, that the Tirthankara is master of a special
Nama-Karma, which gives him a position of peculiar respect
and eminence and makes him responsible for the organization and
establishment of a Sangha. Most Kevalins in the
Sayogikevali stage go about preaching truth; but it is-only a
Tirthankara who forms the Tirthas (or fords) by means of which
a jiva can cross this samsara over to the other side (i.e.,
Moksa). It was in the organization of the Jaina sangha
that the Tirthankara Mahavira showed his real abilities. He welded
together into the Sangha the ascetic as well as the layman, and men
as well as women, prescribed for all their respective duties, and provided
for a rigid discipline and rigorous form off control. In the Buddhist
Sangha laymen were not originally connected with the clergy: Buddha’s
church was a church of monks and nuns only and no attempt was ever made to
organize a quasi-church of lay-brothers and lay-sisters, or to establish
an organic relationship between the clergy and the laity. But Mahavira
welded together the two sections of the Order, the clergy and the laity,
and accorded to the latter a definite and honorable place in the
ecclesiastical scheme and made it incumbent upon them, both as a duty and
as an act of merit, to support the clergy by giving alms liberally. As
there was a de jure relationship involved in the concept of the clergy, so
was a de jure relationship involved in the concept of the laity; as there
was definite procedure for the initiation of the monks and nuns, so a
special procedure was prescribed for the initiation of lay disciples of
the Sramanopasaka variety. Above all, the laity was enjoying to be
exclusive in their loyalty and patronage. Intercourse with adherents of a
rival creed was disapproved, as is clear from the following declaration
made by Ananda, a newly converted disciple of Mahavira: “Truly, Reverend
sir, it does not befit me from this day forward to praise and worship any
man of a heretic community or any of the Devas or objects of reverence of
heretic community or without being first addressed by them to address them
or converse with them; or to give them or supply them with food and drink
or delicacies or dainties except it be by the command of the King or the
community or any powerful man or a deva or by the orders of one’s elders
or by the exigencies of living.”
For initiation into the Sangha, a layman was required first to
renounce five faults ((atichar), first, doubt, secondly, the desire
to belong to another faith, thirdly, misgivings about the reality of the
fruits of Karma (Vichikitsa), fourthly, praise of hypocrites (Parprshansa)
and fifthly, all association with them (Sansatvan). That done, he
was to take the twelve lay vows. (1) The vow never intentionally to
destroy a jiva that has more than one sense. This vow would not
prevent a king leading any army in defense of his kingdom; but it forbids
the killing of weak creatures and of acting as agent provocateur. It
forbids animal sacrifice. (2) The vow never to indulge in falsehood or
exaggeration (sthooolmrishavadviremenrh). This vow enjoins
commercial honesty and forbids rash speech, of secrets relating to one’s
wife, giving false evidence, forgery etc. (3) The vow never to steal (Sthooladetadanviremanr),
the vow including stealth from a house, highway-robbery, misappropriation
of funds, etc., (4) the vow of chastity (Savdaranstosh) by which a
man promises to be absolutely faithful to his own wife at all times and
never to allow any evil thoughts in his own mind about other women. The
vows may be infringed by such activity as evil talk, excessive sexual
indulgence, match- making and match-brokerage, unfaithfulness before
marriage, and consummating marriage with a girl before she has attained
her puberty. (5) The vow of limitation of possessions (parigreh
parimanr), by which a man promises that he will never allow himself to
retain more than a certain fixed quantity of houses and fields, gold and
silver, cash and corn, servants and cattle, furniture and plenishing.
These five vows are called the five Anuvratas and they resemble in
their subject matter the five great vows a monk takes. If layman keeps all
these five vows and also abandons the use of intoxicants, animal food, and
honey, he is entitled to be called a Sravaka.
The next three vows are called the Gunavratas, for they help the
keeping of the first five vows. (6) (Digviriti) which sets bounds
to one’s travels and thus helps to curtail sin by restricting the area in
which one can sin. (7) (Bhogopbhogenriman) which imposes a limit on
the number of things a man may use and is intended thus to help people to
keep their vows against lying, covetousness and stealing. (8) (Anarthdandvirti)
by which a man vows not to think evil of others, nor to persuade people to
do evil, nor to be careless about keeping or using weapons. The keeping of
these vows which need not to be taken by ascetics but only laymen, would
help the curtailment of sin by limiting the motive for sinning.
The remaining four vows are called Siksavratas, for they tend to
encourage the laity in the performance if their religious duties. By the
9th vow samayik a man promises to perform Samayika, that is
to say, to spend at least forty eight minutes every day in meditation,
thinking no evil of anyone, but being at peace with all the world, to
meditate on what heights one’s soul may reach. By the tenth vow (daishviramanr)
he promises for one particular day to still further contract the limits he
has undertaken not to transgress, possibly binding himself during that day
not to go outside the village or the house, to have only one meal or to
drink nothing but water. The eleventh vow (poshdopvas) is of
special significance as connecting the laity closely with the ascetics; it
compels the layman to spend at least twenty-four hours every month as a
monk, observing celibacy, and committing no sort of sin, touching neither
food, water, fruit, betelnut, ornaments, scents, nor any sort of weapon.
The twelfth vow (Atithisanvibhag) encourages the laity to support
the ascetic community by giving food, water, etc.
A definite procedure for initiation was also prescribed. The person who is
desirous of being initiated tells a Guru of his wish. The guru
reads out he vows and gives him an instruction on each one and its
infringements. The layman assents to the instruction and fixes the limits
under various vows for himself. Every year he must confess to the ascetic
who happens to be available the infractions of the vows and accept the
penance given. The vows may be taken for the whole life or for a limited
period of time, on the expiry of which they may be taken afresh.
As in the case of a Sravaka, so for an ascetic there is a
definitely prescribed procedure for initiation (prvrjya) An ascetic
is usually initiated into the order with the permission of his guardians
after a certain period of probation, during which he receives preliminary
training at the hands if a guru, which may last from several days
to one or two years. At the end of the probationary period, the novice is
initiated into monkhood, the ceremony of initiation being fairly elaborate
and highly solemn. After being led in a great procession, the candidate
takes off his jewels and clothes, plucks his hair by the hand, and
solemnly takes up the five great vows and the life of a homeless wanderer.
The five great vows of the ascetic are. (1) Ahimsa, never to
destroy any living thing. In order to keep this vow, the ascetic is
expected to be careful in walking, watchful in speech so as to not give
rise to quarrels or murders, and cautious in his whole daily conduct. He
must be careful as to the alms he receives that they can contain no living
insects etc. (2) Asatya -tyaga, never to indulge in
untruthfulness. The five bhavanas, or strengthening clauses to this
vow supply a remarkable psychological analysis of the causes which lead to
untruthfulness. They condemn speech without deliberation, speech in anger,
speech when moved by avarice, or by fear, and speech in fun. One should
respect the vow of truthfulness by always avoiding jesting, greed,
cowardice, and anger and by thinking before speaking. (3) Asteya
vrata, never to steal. A monk must ask permission of owner before
occupying any one’s house; he must repeat such a request from time to
time. A junior monk must always show to his guru whatever he has
received in alms and then eat it after receiving his permission. (4)
Brahmacaryavrata, to remain chaste always. A monk is enjoined not to
talk about a woman, or look at the form of a woman, or live in the same
building as a woman lives in. He must not recall to mind, the former
amusement and pleasure woman afforded him when he lived in the world; nor
must he eat or drink to excess, or partake of too highly spiced dishes.
(5) Aparigraha vrata, never to have attachment for anything
or any person. “Renouncing liking for pleasant touch, taste, smell, from
or word, and for all the objects of the five senses, renouncing hatred for
unpleasant things, these are the ways to maintain the vow of Aparigraha.”
Apart from the maintenance of these five great vows the discipline of the
ascetic’s daily life is very rigid. Getting up at about four o’clock,
before sunrise, he performs the daily pratikrmanr which is a form
of confession of the sins of the past night, then carries out
pratilaikhan a daily search for any insect life that may be sheltering
in his clothing etc., and after that attends to the list of his morning
duties, which include, preaching, begging for alms, auricular confession
to the Guru, study of the scriptures and mediation. There are innumerable
rules that should be observed when begging, and they differ from sect to
sect but all sects agree in only taking what may be reasonably considered
to be left over after the needs of the household have been satisfied, and
in refusing things specially prepared for the ascetic, In the afternoon
pratilaikhan is performed again and so the evening pratikarmanr
which now is a confession of sins for the day.
Philosophy
