CHAPTER - III JAIN PHILOSOPHY and PRACTICES Our Age Is Not Only the Age of Science but Also the Age of Anxiety and Mental Tension
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157 CHAPTER - III JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICES Our age is not only the age of Science but also the age of anxiety and mental tension. Our life is full of excitements, emotional disorders and conflicts of values. We know much about the atom but not enough about the values needed for meaningful life. Jainism is not only a religion, but a unique philosophy of self that prescribes a code of conduct for all human beings irrespective of creed, caste and colour. The Jain philosophy fully advocates limitless power and energy of the human soul and its independency. The right thinking and the right conduct of Jains are auxiliary colours spread on the vast canvas of non-violence, which is the backbone of Jain philosophy. The word Jina means the enlightened, the perfected human who has conquered the internal passions and annihilated even the subtlest of attachment and aversion by one‟s own efforts. Such enlightenment slowly and progressively results into omniscience. Jina-s teach the path of soul purification and perfection, called Jainism, only after attaining self-perfection. According to Jain philosophy, they believe in and worship Tirthankars, who were human beings attaining the state of perfect enlightenment through meditation and self-realization. A detailed discussion on philosophy, principles and spiritual practices in Jainism are discussed here under coverage of following topics: I. History of Jainism and Biography of Lord Mahāvīra II. Fundamental Principles, Metaphysics of Jainism III. Stages of spiritual elevation (Guṇasthānaka-s) IV. Jain scriptures and Spiritual teachers V. Spiritual Practices prescribed for Jain ascetics - monks and nuns VI. Spiritual Practices prescribed for Jain householders VII. Celebrations/ Festivals, Prayers and Prime symbol in Jain traditions I. History of Jainism and Biography of Lord Mahāvīra: Jainism is considered as the eternal philosophy and one of the oldest religions. It existed long before the last tīrthaṅkara Lord Mahāvīra and his teachings were based on those of his predecessors. He thus was more of a reformer and propagator of an 158 existing religious order than founder of any new faith. He recognised the philosophical tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times. Lord Mahāvīra is the twenty fourth and last tīrthaṅkara of this era of Jain religion, who is founder of current concepts and philosophy of Jainism. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva or Ādinātha was the first tīrthaṅkara of this group, who existed millions of years before. Among the most disturbed state of all religions and sacrifices in very violent form, th Mahāvīra was born on 13 day of the rising moon half of Caitra month in 599 B.C. at Kshatriyakuṇḍa (currently known as Kuṇḍalpura) in the state of Bihar, India. His father, King Siddhārtha began to prosper ever since his wife, queen Triśalā became pregnant. So, parents gave him name of „Vardhamāna‟ means increasing. He was popularly known as Mahāvīra since he showed high degree of courage and fearlessness during his childhood. As he got matured and got married, he firmly realised that worldly happiness and pleasures do not last and based mainly on miseries and unhappiness of others. At the age of 30, he renounced the worldly life and became a monk. He spent initial twelve and half years in deep silence and meditation to conquer his desires, feeling and attachments. He observed severe austerities, fasting for most of the time, moving to places bare-footed and no clothes on. He also continued facing all types of hardships during this entire period of renounced life. He developed highest quality of love towards all living creatures. With this progress in spirituality at the age of 42, he could destroy all types of karma and realized perfect perception, knowledge, power and total bliss attaining the ultimate state of knowledge known as kevalajñāna (omniscience) in Jainism. Next thirty years, he travelled around the whole country, preaching the eternal truth realised by him to the people. Lord Mahāvīra is the founder of Jainism prevailing today. All his teachings are preserved in the form of fundamental scripture in Jainism called as Āgama-s. Lord Mahāvīra organized his followers into four fold order namely: 1. sādhu or śramaṇa (monk) 2. sādhvī or śramaṇī (nun) 3. śrāvaka (layman) and 4. śrāvikā (laywoman). 159 Together as a group, they are called as Jain Saṅgha, a big family or society. Śrāvaka or śrāvikā is one who listens or who has recourse to faith or whose sins flow away from him278. These śrāvaka-s are of four catagories as under: 1. nāmaśrāvaka (by birth or default) 2. sthāpanāśrāvaka (statue of a layman) 3. dravyaśrāvaka (carries out rites but devoid of spirituality) and 4. bhāvaśrāvaka, who is a true believer of Jain Philosophy. Lord Mahāvīra made religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual complexities. He said, “A living body is not merely an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the abode of the soul, which potentially has perfect perception (anantadarśana), perfect knowledge (anantajñāna), perfect power (anantavīrya) and perfect conduct (anantacaritra).”279 His message reflects the freedom and spiritual joy of living being, preaching the gospel of universal love. He rejected the concept of God as a creator, a protector and a destroyer of the universe and denounced the worshipping of gods and goddesses as a means of material gains and personal benefits. II. Fundamental Principles: Jainism is spiritualistic as it believes in existence of soul. It is eternal and transmit- grates to another body after death. Every soul is potentially divine. The ultimate goal of Jainism is how to attain total freedom from the cycle of birth and death and there- fore from pain, suffering and misery of the life. Thus, like other Indian Philosophies, final goal of Jainism is liberation, absolute freedom which is termed as mokṣa. In its pure state, soul has the following four characteristics: 1. Infinite knowledge (anantajñāna) 2. Infinite faith (anantadarśana) 3. Infinite energy (anantavīrya) 278 R.Williams, Jaina Yoga - a survey of the Mediaeval Śrāvakācāras, Oxford University Press, London, 1963, p.36 279 Jain Philosophy and Practice -1, Jain Education Committee, North America, p. 18, 2002 160 4. Infinite bliss, happiness (anantānanda) Worldly soul is impure, polluted with karmic matter. Lord Mahāvīra explained through various sermons that every living being (soul, jīva) is ignorant about his/her true self and also is in bondage of karmic particles. These particles are continuously accumulated by our good or bad deeds. And accordingly we enjoy pleasures in materialistic belongings and possessions. This is the deep-rooted cause of self-centered violent thoughts, anger, hatred, greed and other vices. And that‟s how more karma gets accumulated. In order to get rid of this cycle, one has to follow the right path consists of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. This trio also called as triratna of Jainism is termed by Mahāvīra as samyak-darśana, samyak-jñāna and samyak-caritra respectively. These are not three ways to moksha, but integration of these three only can take us to liberation. All three constitutes the mokṣa mārga as explained in the beginning of Tattvārthasūtra.280 These three gems together called as triratna, destroys bhāvakarma and afterwards, the dravyakarma gets dissolved automatically. These three gems form foundation of entire spiritual path of Jainism. "There's no knowledge without right faith, No conduct is possible without knowledge, Without conduct, there's no liberation, And without liberation, no deliverance" - Lord Mahāvīra281 Each one of three gems is explained below: 1. Right perception (samyak darśana) Jainism insists on real faith, the real darśana which only can give us the real happiness. It is the right way of perceiving and understanding any object or situation. One needs to remove the false perception about everything (mithyā darśana) to attain samyak darśana. Mithyā is wrong perception (avidyā). 280 सम्यग्दर्शनऻानचाररत्राणणमोऺमागश: | T.S, 1.1, Acharya Umaswati, Tattvārthasūtra, JAINA and Shrut Ratnakar, Ahmedabad, July, 2007 281 Uttarādhyayana Sūtra, Chapter- 27, Translation of Verse 30 161 Ratnakāṇḍa Śrāvakācāra (sūtra-34) tells that nothing in this triloka (entire universe) and trikāla (all time and eras) is better than samyak darśana for a jīva and nothing is worse than mithyātva. Belief in substances ascertained as they are is right faith282. Upon what right faith is to be developed? How? The scriptures including Tattvārthasūtra tells us how one can practice Samyak darśana on 28 tattvas (elements) with full awareness, consistent efforts (adhigama) and with the support of pramāṅa, naya, nirdeśādika and satsamkhyādika. Right Faith (samyak darśana or samyak śradhhā) is of three types283 as under: a. Aupaśamika: Aupaśamika means suppression. It happens due to the suppression of passions (non-living particles of kaṣāya-s). Here, all these ājīva particles of mithyātva karma are settled down or become inactive. b. Kṣayopśamika: Kṣayopśamika means the mixer of suppression and destruction. This state is due to the partial suppression and partial destruction of passions. c. Kṣayika: Kṣayika means destruction. This samyakatva or right faith is due to the destruction of all passions. Right perception can be attained either by intuition, automatic instinct or without support of the scriptures, by acquiring knowledge284, education, listening, nisarga or pūrvasamskāra or by others‟ advices (bāhya nimitta) or sermons and support (adhigamaja) through pramāṇa or naya. Samyaktva (right perception) is considered as pre-requisite for observance of restraints. Doubtfulness (śaṅkā), expectations (ākāṅkṣā), wavering mind (vicikitsā), praising the wrong viewpoint and adoration (anyadṛṣṭi praśamsā) thereof are five transgressions of right perception285. 282 तत्तत्तवाथशश्रद्धानं सम्यग्दर्शनम।् T.S. 1.2, Acharya Umaswati, Tattvārthasūtra, JAINA and Shrut Ratnakar, Ahmedabad, July, 2007 283 Umaswati, Mokshashastra, Kanji Swami Smarak Trust, Devlali, V.S. 2047, pp.10, 11 284 तन्ननसगाशदधधगमा饍वा। T.S. 1.3 285 र्ंकाकाङऺाववधचकत्तसानय饃न्टि प्रर्ंसा संस्तवा् सम्यग्饃टिेरतीचारा्। T.S.