Upadana-Nimitta
(Material and Efficient Cause)
The next requirement is the understanding that every
phenomenon in life is governed by the doctrine of cause and effect and
nothing which happens in this universe is accidental or miraculous. Once
this understanding is ingrained, our attention would naturally be focussed
on finding out the cause. Care should be taken to see that we go to the
root cause instead of an immediate cause, which superficially strikes us,
is mostly the effect of some other cause. For instance if some one has
disturbed us by inflicting an insult, we at once conclude that the cause
of our disturbance was that someone else. But if we think deeper and go to
the root of the real cause of our disturbance, we will find that we are
hypersensitive or that we were some how responsible for inciting the other
one to insult us to that the other one who insulted us did not mean to
insult us.
The Jaina philosophers have emphasized that whatever is
the immediate cause, disturbing our soul, is foreign to us and merely
provides an occasion or a situation. In Jaina philosophy it is a ‘Nimitta',
a pretext, with the help of which the ‘self', which is the real cause,
‘Upadana' moves, and experiences the results. If the ‘self' tries to
remain unmoved, i.e., tries to remain unaffected by the situation, the
object which is foreign to it and which is a ‘Nimit' cannot produce any
result.
To illustrate how our life actions in our spiritual
journey take final shape, our attention is drawn to the process by which a
potter gives a final shape to an earthen pot. In an earthen pot, the limp
of clay is ‘Upadana', the potter is the doer (Karta) and the instruments
are ‘Nimitta'. The lump of clay has to pass through different shapes
before it assumes the final shape of a pot. Applying this analogy to the
shaping of spiritual life, our ‘self' or ‘Atman' is both the Karta and
Upadana because it combines in itself the qualities of a motivating force
and the substratum which undergoes changes and the external objects are ‘Nimittas'.
If the ‘Self', while coming into contact with worldly objects, allows
itself to be influenced by them, it assumes the character of these objects
and shape itself accordingly. If it allows itself to be influenced by
anger, it looks angry; if by greed, it looks greedy; if by pride, it looks
proud. But if it allows itself to be influenced by the thoughts and
writings of spiritual leaders, it looks spiritualised, noble and
benedictory. Thus the upward progress of the soul depends much upon the
quality of the ‘Nimitta' which is permitted to influence it. Just as a
lump of clay takes different shapes before attaining the final shape of a
pot, the self also takes different shapes before attaining the ultimate
stage of ‘Nirvana'. It is a common place truth that one is always
influenced by the company he keeps. "Ilika bhramarijata dhyayanti bhramari
yatha", means ‘just as a new born insect becomes a bee by contemplating on
the bee itself'. That is why all the saints of different schools in India
have put special emphasis on Satsanga, i.e., the company of saintly
persons; studying and contemplating on the path shown by the great seers,
constantly repeating the names and attributes of the great souls who have
moved on earth, contemplating the virtues which have made them great,
discussing and analysing the great doctrines handed over to us by them
through selfless love for humanity. These are the surest ways to be
influenced by good and beneficial ‘Nimittas'. Thus we should prefer the
‘Nimittas' which permanently remind us of the divine power of our spirit,
which fill our daily life routine with the idea of total liberation and
which make us repentant of all our moral lapses. It follows that we should
avoid those ‘Nimittas' which becomes responsible for contrary effect. This
process obviously requires a lively awareness from moment to moment. Any
lapse in such an awareness is known in Jaina technicality as ‘Pramada',
the literary meaning of which is negligence.
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