Jainism is a way of life , Root question ,
Importance of Bheda-Jnana , Practical steps, Nicrtti in the midst of
Pravrtti, All pervasive doctrine of Ahimsa, Importance of celibacy,
Relevance to modern times .
The principles stated in the foregoing chapters are the
bare outlines of The Path-way of Life which was preached by Arhats and now
known as Jainism. It is wrong to call Jainism a religion. It is rather a
way of thinking which shows a path of life, a life without tension, a life
of positive thinking and attitude, a life of understanding, a life which
is not a living death.
Root Question
The question at the root of all questions is : whether
we are living a life of realities, a life full of consciousness and
intelligent awareness, or, we are aimlessly dragged on in this existence,
always open to the push and pull of the outside forces having no will of
our own and hankering after one object to another in search of
ever-eluding happiness ? Whether we are the persons without personality,
men without manliness, knowing nothing about our own self, though
pretending to know much about all that is not our own self ? In our
conceit, and in our ignorance, we may put aside these pertinent questions
as mere philosophical flourishes, but if we have patience to delve deep
into our day to day problems, and if we genuinely try to understand their
root causes, we are bound to notice that inspite of our worldly success in
gathering power and pelf, we seriously lack something which leaves in the
deeper recesses of our sub-conscience, a streak of unhappiness and
dissatisfaction- What is the cause of all these sufferings and
discontentment. We have always tried to find out their cause from outside
us. We are always ready to blame others - some outside forces to explain
our pleasures and pains - Jainism says this is our ignorance. It goes to
the root of the problem and this is our ignorance. It goes to the root of
the problem and points out to us that we are our own friend and foe, and
all the things, good as well as bad, which we get in life, are of our own
making. It admonishes us :
Appa katta vikatta ya, duhanna ya suhana ya.
Appa mittamamittam ca, dupatthiya supatthio.
"It is your own self which is the doer as well as
enjoyer of your pleasures and pains. Your friend and foe is also your own
self, engaged in good and bad activities respectively."
Importance of Bheda-jnana
The concept of Bheda-jnana involves the firm belief in
the existence of soul and non-soul as the constituents of the world. A
little analysis and logical approach to the constitution of the Universe
can easily convince us about the existence and efficacy of the both. The
Jaina approach towards the constitution of world is altogether scientific
and logical. There is nothing religious or sectarian in the proposition
that there are two basic constituents of this phenomenal world - Jiva and
Ajiva, that is, the things which are sentient and non-sentient. If this
conviction is heeded by discerning human mind, there would be little
difficulty in concluding that our true self is purely a knower, the
permanent conscious element which knows and motivates all our activities
in life, and that the rest is only an object of our knowledge and thus
foreign to us. If this is so, should I not concentrate on that which is
permanent, that which is my own self ? For, to devote our attention to the
things which are foreign to ‘Self' is to seek satisfaction from the
objects which do not belong to us. This is bound to result in despair,
dejection and tension. Jaina seers, therefore, emphasize that the
realisation of the distinction between self and non-self is the first
essential condition for a blissful life. This however does not mean that
as house-holders we should shun all the activities of material life. In
fact, all the Tirthankaras and leading Jaina-sravakas (house-holders) were
successfully engrossed in activities of life, but the key of their
attainment of spiritual bliss was their awareness that real happiness
resides in own self and can never be obtained through the enjoyment of
worldly activities and their results do not ‘touch' us, and if they do not
touch us, all our doubts, dejections and despairs vanish and one begins to
get the taste of real happiness and bliss. Without such an awareness or
conviction one easily identifies himself with worldly objects of enjoyment
which are foreign to the self and transitory in their nature. The fickle
character of these objects when identified with our self does bring in its
strain all the tensions and turmoils which affect us in our to day
existence.
So the first and foremost postulate of a happy and
blissful life is the discrimination of self and non-self, and the
conviction that the self's indulgence in non-self is bound to result in
suffering due to the transitoriness of worldly objects as well as
pleasures and pains created by them. Such a realisation and conviction
would greatly reduce our usual tensions and would enable us to face the
realities of life with calm and fortitude, never experienced before. We
would then be no more pulled and pushed by outside factors, because the
exigencies generated by these force are not able to touch our ‘self'. We,
and not the outside forces, become masters of our own ‘self'.
Practical Steps
To give a practical shape to the above realised a
discrimination and conviction, the Jaina masters have prescribed some
practical and workable methods to train our psyche. They have asked us to
bear constantly in our mind the twelve Bhavanas, i.e., reflection of
Anityatva, Asaranatva, etc., as described in the chapter on ‘Modus
Operandi'. All these twelve Bhavanas, i.e., reflections are the logical
conclusions derived from the behavioural pattern of the human mind in it
interaction with material objects of the universe. Just try any of these
reflections or Bhavanas consciously, constantly and honestly for one month
and you will find a world of difference in your attitude towards life and
its problems.
Jaina insistence on austerities, daily repentance and
meditations (discussed in the chapter on Modus Operandi) greatly helps in
shaping our personality to a life of peace, tranquility and contentment
which are in so much demand in modern life.
Nivrtti in the midst of Pravrtti
As we have already noted, the fundamental and basic
postulate of the Sramapa tradition, to which Jainism belongs, is ‘Nivrtti'
(retirement). What is this ‘Nivrtti' ? Does it mean cessation of all
activities ? Certainly not. Jainism recognises that so long as the soul is
attached to Karmic forces such as body, mind and various types of passions
(Kasayas) physical activities are bound to remain. If, however, we go to
the root of all these worldly activities, we find that at the root, is the
psychic element of ‘attachment'. Our attachment to our family, to our
society, our nation, our mental pre-possessions, that is, ideologies, our
attachment to worldly objects such as wealth, power, position, urge for
the domination over others - all this is at the root of our activities and
lend colour as well as dynamism to them. In other words, motivation is
‘attachment', known as ‘Bhava Karma' in Jaina terminology (vide chapter on
‘Ethics of Responsibility'). It is this attachment, the cause of Karmic
forces which binds the soul. It follows that if this attachment is
destroyed or, at least, mitigated while doing a particular worldly
activity, the binding force of the Karmic bondage is either nullified or
lessened. How this is achieved is shown while discussing the process of
fourteen ‘Gunasthanas' and the theory of ‘Ksapaka Sreni' in Chapter in
‘Journey to Freedom'. This is the path of ‘Nirvtti', not meaning cessation
of human activities, but destruction or taming of the element of
‘attachment'. This is the key of the spiritual success of all Tirthankaras
and Sravakas who either ruled the earth or indulged in various types of
household and worldly activities and this was also the key to the
spiritual heights reached by great souls like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and
King Janaka who were engaged in worldly activities all through their
lives. Thus ‘Nivrtti' in the midst of ‘Pravrtti' is found to be the key to
the spiritual progress.
Then the question is how this is possible ? The
argument would be that Tirthankaras and the personalities like Rama, Krsna
or Janaka were divine, and as some say, they were ‘Avataras' and hence
could adopt the attitude of ‘Nivrtti' in the midst of ‘Pravrtti'. It
would, however, be difficult, on would argue, for lay persons like us to
develop such an attitude of non-attachment while performing our worldly
activities.
Jaina thinkers say that any such argument suffers from
two basic misconceptions about the theory of Divine descent and the
ultimate power and capacity of each soul to achieve the highest. We have
seen in the foregoing chapters how and why the Jaina doctrine summarily
and positively rejects the theory of Divine descent. According to it all
Tirthankaras and other great souls like Sri Rama, Krishna and Janaka were
human beings and achieved god-hood by their own exertions spread through
many lives. The concept of attributing good-hood through Divine descent is
greatly harmful to spiritual development of every soul because that does
not inspire a layman to develop his own latent capacity to achieve
god-hood. From this misconception of ‘Divine Descent', the second
misconception about the capacity of every soul to achieve the highest is
generated and prevents the soul from making further progress. The Jaina
thinkers, therefore, repeatedly emphasize, the idea that each soul has the
potentiality to develop god-hood which Mahavira and others obtained. What
is necessary is to realize that God-hood is not the monopoly of a few
chosen individuals and it can be achieved by proper faith, knowledge and
action called ‘Samyag Darsana', Samyag Jnana and Samyag Caritra' (vide
Chapter ‘Journey to Freedom'). Once a soul realizes and is convinced that
out of the duality of Jiva and Ajiva, it is Jiva which is eternal,
permanent and worth pursuing, it starts treading the path of ‘Samyag
Darsana' (Right perspective). This, if sincerely followed, generates in it
a desire to go deep into all the live problems of life, and it enters into
the field of ‘Samyag Jnana' (Right knowledge), and the development of this
second stage, if properly directed, is bound to take him to the third
stage of ‘Samyag Caritra’ (Right conduct). These ‘Ratna-trayi’ (three
jewels) of Darsana. Jnana and Caritra, is the starting point of spiritual
journey which, with proper efforts leads the soul to ascend the ladder of
‘Guna-sthanas'.
All-pervasive doctrine of Ahimsa
The doctrine of Ahimsa to be practiced in mind, speech
and action is yet another factor of practical utility in soothing,
softening and harmonising the international, national and individual
relationship. The Jaina thinkers have touched the new heights of
philosophical refinement by introducing the doctrine of Ahimsa even in the
process of thinking. Their evolution of the theories of Naya and Syadvada,
is an attempt to recognise even the partial truth, wherever evident, so
that reality can be comprehended in its fullest possible extent. Adoption
of this method of establishing truth positively leads to the development
of toleration of every view-point however contrary in may be to the
current and traditional view. If the theories of Naya and Syadvada are
extended to every sphere of human activity, individual and social life on
this planet would be revolutionised completely. Softness and love are the
qualities of heart which are developed by the practice of Ahimsa
(non-violence). All hatred and cruelty automatically stop once these
qualities are developed and applied.
The doctrine of Ahimsa is the natural corollary of the
Jaina view which regards universe as one integrated cosmic mechanism
wherein the continuing consciousness of even a microscopic atom has a
recognised role to play. Vegetarianism of Jainas is thus a rational
recognition of the universal scheme of life and its development.
Importance of Celibacy
It seems that it was Mahavira who first developed the
concept of celibacy in the ethical life of spiritual seekers in India.
Caturyama of Parsva, the 23rd Tirthankara, was found by him quite
deficient, which included celibacy within the concept of Aparigraha
(limitation of possession), and the Vedic Rsis had not extended their
concept of Brahmacarya (movement in Brahma, the cosmic soul) to comprehend
even celibacy, as all of them were married persons and even their concept
of Visnu, the universal Lord, was not devoid of a consort. It is of course
true that celibacy was not unknown to the spiritual seekers in India
before the advent of Mahavira, but its place in spiritual development of
the soul was systematically recognised for the first time by Mahavira.
Ethical justification of celibacy does not lie only in saving millions of
Spermatozoa, as some Jainas, in their simplicity, believe, but it lies in
restraining excessive emotional outburst, having a violent passion to
possess which results invariably in attachments and aversions of various
types, as also in total waste of energy which can be utilised for
achieving great spiritual heights. The Jaina insistence on celibacy,
therefore, helps one to develop his personality and manliness.
Relevance to Modern Times
Thus the Jaina doctrines are the doctrines, helpful to
any one in living a vibrant and purposeful life, conducive to the
development of social, ethical and national as well international harmony.
As they are based on scientific analysis of universal components and human
psychology, their appeal is universal and confined only to logic and
reasoning, containing nothing sectarian. It is a process of thinking and a
way of life which are as much relevant today as they were two thousand
five hundred years ago in times of Mahavira.
Email this page 
Philosophy
