"It is only when we transcend the limits of ordinary
biological man that we can come in contact with pure personality which
Upanisadas call Atman or the self. This pure self is one in all and is
identical with the highest reality of the Universe. It is pure
spirituality and pure experience (Jnana) and as such, the absolute
concrete Truth. Self is the ultimate reality and experiences are
extraneous to it."
Jainism sees the whole universe as a great cosmic
mechanism �with its own self propelling force', and we being a part of
that mechanism, our �religion' consists of conducting ourselves in harmony
with that mechanism is and how it works.
This brings to us many questions of metaphysical
importance, viz., who created this universe and who sustains it ? Are our
destinies governed by some outside force or is there any other set of
rules which govern our fate ?
The man, in his pursuit to seek answers to these
questions seems to have evolved the concept of God. Some believe that
�God' has created this universe and sustains it. It is further believed
that the man is punished for his sins-the original of which commenced with
Adam and, Eve tasting the forbidden fruit. They do not believe in the
theory of trans-migration of soul but contend that a day of reckoning will
come when everyone will be alive from his grave to receive God's judgement
for his good and bad deeds in this life. This is the occidental idea of an
everlasting individual personality as conceived by Greeks and passed on to
Christianity. the redemption of every individual according to the view
lies in offering sincere repentance and prayers to be relieved of sins.
Some philosophers are more sophisticated in their
explanation about the existence of the Divine. There are two principal
schools of thought --One is ontological and the other is cosmological. As
will be seen hereafter, both these schools come to the conclusion that the
scheme of the universe is finally sustained and controlled by some outside
divine force, the ultimate cause and hence the ultimate truth.
The Jaina approach is totally different. It has no
place for God as the creator or sustainer of this universe. In Jainism
there is no outside force, regulating prizes and punishment. A soul,
liberated completely from the bondage of karmas, is all-knowing,
all-powerful, omniscient and possesses all the attributes of what we
understand by the expression �God'. Pleasure and pains of life are the
result of ones own actions called �Karmas� and as result of these Karmas
every soul takes rebirth and proceeds further in its journey towards
liberation. In Jainism, as in other Indian religious systems, individual
personality has always been regarded as a transitory mask as the whole
Jaina philosophy is based on the existence of the duality of Jiva and
Ajiva, Spirit and Matter. The spirit survives even after the matter
appears to decay and dies. This leads Jainas to the theory of
re-incarnation and rebirth in accordance with he Karmas (actions) of the
past births. Even your good actions bind you if they are done with a
motive to gain rewards. Law of Karma is inexonerable but one can destroy
his Karmas to be free from their bondage by one's own efforts. There is no
outside element, to drag you out of this bondage. The great seers and
prophets can guide you and point out to you the path of redemption but
ultimately it is for you to find out the path suitable to you and to start
walking on that path by conviction, courage and fortitude.
This approach of Jainism has earned for itself a
comment that is atheistic.
Is Jainism atheistic ? Before answering this question,
it would be necessary to know what is �atheistic'. If theism consists only
in the belief in a personal or impersonal God as creator and sustainer of
this universe, then certainly Jainism is atheistic as it does not believe
that this universe is created and shaped by some personal or impersonal
entity called God. Nor do the Jainas believe that rendition of justice for
the good or bad deeds of human beings is at the mercy of some capricious
will or whim of the Divine.
Approach of Jaina philosophers to this question is
purely rational. While they flatly reject the notion of a supremely
authoritative God, it does not reject God-head itself. It studies the
component elements of the whole Universe, scrutinises the true nature and
character of each, analyses their effect on the evolution of life, tries
to find out the ultimate goal of the progression, and by a very subtle and
logical process of metaphysics, shows the way to achieve God-hood. It has
innate faith in the capacity of the spirit, the creative force called
�Atman' to achieve God-hood and makes no distinction between the
potentially of the creative force inherent in a blade of grass and the one
inherent in humanly frame of Mahavira, the last and the most distinguished
Tirthankara (Prophet) of our times, to achieve the final God-hood. It
emphasises that the achievement of God-hood does not depend upon the
favours of any agency outside your own self, and each soul (Atman) can
achieve the same by his own understanding and efforts. What is required is
the will to exert.
�Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics' makes
distinction between naive atheism and philosophical atheism. If this
distinction is accepted, one can say that Jainism believes in
philosophical atheism. This is obviously different from gross materialism.
The difference consists in the Jaina conviction, and outcome of a serious
philosophical speculation, and not a naive refusal to believe what cannot
be visualized. Heinrich Zimmer rightly observes that Jainism is not
atheistic but is trans-theistic.
Indian tradition uses the word �Nastika', i.e.,
non-believer or atheistic three senses, viz. (1) Disbelief in the theory
of karman and the life beyond, (2) Disbelief in God and (3) Disbelief in
the ultimate authority of Vedas. It is the second and third sense in which
some Hindu thinkers have labelled Jainism as atheistic. Strictly speaking,
it would be only in the third sense that Jainas may be called atheistic
because Jainas do not believe in the finality of Vedas. Mahavira�s
dialogue with his first disciples called �Ganadharas' shows that the
teacher has not totally disclaimed the Vedas, but has tried to explain
some of their aspects by putting his own interpretation. So far as the
second sense is concerned, it is the Carvaka school which would fall
within its category because the carvakas do not believe either in the
theory of karma or rebirth. There is the total denial of all that cannot
be apprehended by senses.
It is pertinent to note that in the Indian system of
philosophical thoughts, Jaina thinkers were not the only ones who denied
the existence of a supreme God. Nyaya and Vaisesika systems were
originally atheistic and became theistic only after their fusion. Sankhya
also denied the existence of God and hence it is referred to as �Nirisvara',
i.e., Godless. Thus the rejection of the idea of a supreme authority
outside ones own-self as shaping the destiny of the whole universe is
rejected by some of the most important schools of philosophers in the
process of evolution of Indian metaphysics.
Then the question which naturally arises is how do the
Jainas explain the origin and governance of Universe ? What is the �Raison
detre' of this existence ? Jaina system maintains that the universe is
without beginning or an end. It broadly classifies the universe into two
categories, viz. (1) Jiva (soul) and (2) Ajiva (non-soul). Jiva is the
creative spirit, the motivating force, the consciousness which pervades
even in the things which are apparently immobile and inanimate. Ajiva is
the matter non-sentient, non-motivating and non-conscious. This elements
of Ajiva is the world which is in existence outside the �I' element. Every
living being has the consciousness of �I'. This �I' exists inspite of the
fundamental changes in the shape and character of its body. This body
undergoes many changes from birth to childhood, then to youth and to old
age and finally to death but �I' consciousness remains the same. That
consciousness is that of �Jiva'. The rest is �Ajiva'. If we analyse all
the objects of this universe, we shall come across these two broad
classifications of �Jiva' and �Ajiva'.
According to Jaina philosophers both these elements of
the universe are eternal and ever existent. They are not created by any
one and they operate by their own force, action and interaction. This
interaction between these two every existing and eternal elements of
universe supplies motivating force, consciousness and push of Jiva to
Ajiva. The result is the large and amazing varieties and activities of
objects in the universe.
Obviously, this line of reasoning rules out the
necessity of a creator or a sustainer of the universe, because according
to in the universe is an incomprehensible automation and the work of a
philosopher is only to find out and understand the secrets of this
automation. Religion, according to Jainism does not consist of any ritual
but is only an attempt to adjust yourself properly in the mechanism of
this automation. As Dr. S. Radhakrishnan puts it, "the Jaina view is that
the whole universe of being, of mental and material factors has existed
from all eternity, undergoing an infinite number of revolutions produced
by the powers of nature without the intervention of any external deity."
The concept of the absolute matter, creator and
sustainer of the Universe is born out of human experience that everything
tangible and intangible is the result of causation and creativity and
therefore there must be some ultimate cause or a creator from whom
everything else has resulted. This line of reasoning has led the human
mind to various type of philosophical speculations and approaches. It may
not be illogical or irrational to think that there must be some
coordinating force which is transcending the material world and human
understanding. But Belief in this transcendental co-ordinating energy has
led mataphysics to the discovery of an all powerful and all embracing
Divine soul. All the objects of universe are subject to its ordinance and
will. It is ultimate and real cause of all things tangible and intangible
experienced in life. Thinkers have adopted two well-known approaches
ontological and cosmological. Ontology is metaphysics concerned with
essence of things or being in the abstract. Cosmological approach accepts
the law of causality or the principal of �Sufficient reason'. To
ontological approach God is real as there is some force beyond our minds
and ideas. He is "That than which nothing greater can be conceived" (St.
Anselm). The starting point for cosmological approach is not God but are
wordly objects, it states that every existing thing or feature, we
encounter in the universe must have a cause or reason. There must be
something else which has brought it into existence. This �something else'
is itself an effect or result of some prior cause. If, say the
cosmologists, you go on tracing this link of effect and its cause, you
must ultimately conclude that there is one final reality, the root cause
of all effects, and it has sufficient reason within itself. This approach
historically goes back to Aristotle's argument that there must be an
�unmoved cause' of motion.
Jaina thinkers hold both these views to be true only
partially. To Jainas, the conclusions drawn by these two views leave much
to be desired from logical point of view. Having once accepted the
existence of some force beyond our mind and ideas, it is of no use to
claim further that this force can be realised through the cultivation and
development of spiritual potentiality inherent in ourself.
�Thou art that' (Tattavamasi) is as much the call of
the Jainas as that of the Upanisadas. Western ontologists have failed to
recognise this. With regard to cosmological approach, the Jainas fully
adhere the theory of causation, being most vocal advocates of the theory
of Karman. They would, however, disagree with the cosmologists that root
cause of all effects is external to our own self. Jainism maintains you
are your own cause and your own effect and it is by your own effort and
exertion that you can reap results, good or bad. If there is an ultimate
cause, it is within you and not outside you. You are, therefore, your own
master, your own God. You are not servile or subservient to any outside
agency. Finality is your own potential. As Brhadaranyaka Upanisad puts it
:
"Whoever worships God as other than the self, thinking.
He is one and I am another, knows not." Bhagavadgita also recognises this
truth wherein Lord says -- "Isvarah sarva bhutanam hrddeserjuna tisthati."
Oh Arjuna, God dwells in the heart of every being. Aristotle uttered a
great truth, �To be happy means to be self sufficient'. Salvation,
according to Jain seers, is not a gift of capricious gods, but is to be
won by earnest seeking and self discipline. Man, according to them is the
sole and absolute master of his fate; but so long as his vision is clouded
by ignorance, resulting in attachments, envy and arrogance, he is not able
to see the path of freedom. If he is found fettered by chains, these
chains are of his own forging, and by proper efforts, only he can rend
them asunder.
The Indian philosophical system of �Nyaya' is very much
akin to the thinking of Western ontological philosophers on this point.
Jaina reply to Nyaya philosophers is that if God, as an outside and over
powering force, is taken as the creator and sustainer of the universe on
the analogy of the effects having intelligent human causes, then even God,
like human beings must be presumed to be imperfect having all human
desires of creation, fun and frolic. Moreover, many questions such as the
creator of God and reason for the creation of universe by God and why God
should take trouble of dispensing justice, etc, remained unanswered.
Albert Einstein, the greatest physicist of our age
rightly observes with reference to the idea of existence of an omnipotent,
just and omni-beneficient personal God as under :
"... ... if this being is omnipotent, then every
occurrence, including every human action, every human thought and every
human feeling and aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think
of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an
almighty being ? In giving out punishment and rewards. He would to a
certain extent be passing judgement on Himself. How can this be continued
with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him ?"
Jainas have, attempted to examine the root of the whole
universal existence and have concluded that each individual soul is
responsible for his own fate and that everything in the universe is
eternal. Science also tells us that the matter is indestructible. It may
change form but essence remains the same. That is exactly what Jainas
say---
Soul, according to Jainas, is clouded by karmic action
of matter on account of its association with the matter from time
immemorial. But by proper efforts it can become free from the bondage of
karma and achieve its pristine purity by becoming itself all knowing and
all powerful, sans aspirations and sans desire. It is then all bliss,
peace and joy (Sat Cit Ananda). It is its own creation and it is the
ultimate Reality.
