Traces of Mysticism in Jainism (Study)
by Sadhvi Madhystha Prabha | 2021 | 103,765 words
This page relates 鈥楾hree Jewels鈥� of the study on the concept of Mysticism in Jainism exploring key concepts such as Jaina metaphysics and Jain ethics. The present research is divided into six chapters, beginning with an introduction to mysticism, examining its characteristics from both Western and Eastern perspectives. Subsequent chapters delve into the mystical aspects of Brahmanic and Shramanic literature, analyzing texts from the Shvetambara and Digambara traditions to unearth traces of Jain mysticism.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
The Three Jewels
Each soul can become supreme soul and experience the mystical state of perfection, this is a significant philosophy propounded by 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补. On the basis of this philosophy, in the context of mysticism, the question here arises, how come a mundane soul become supreme or attain supreme state called 尘辞办峁? What are the means?
For this, 叠丑补驳补惫腻苍 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补 said鈥搕he right path is trio for self-realisation, as鈥�
膧肠腻谤测补 Um膩sv膩ti have expressed the same.[2]
1 Right World View
Um膩sv膩ti has defined samyaga 诲补谤艣补苍补 as belief in the true nature of the substances as they are: 鈥�Tattvartha 蝉谤补诲诲丑腻苍补尘 samyag 诲补谤艣补苍补峁�.鈥�[3] 膧肠腻谤测补 Samantbhadra has defined samyag诲补谤艣补苍补 belief in the meanings of the principles, the 膧辫迟补 or the Arhat, the sacred scriptures and the pious saint who is free from three kinds of superstitions, eight angas and eight kinds of pride.[4]
Nature of Right World View
Right world view is the foundation of Jaina ethics. It is a vital force for spiritual life and foundation of liberation.[5] The journey of spirituality commences with the dawn of 鈥�Samyag诲补谤艣补苍补鈥�. The object of right world view is truth[6].
By having right world view, the aspirant becomes free from doubt and gains discrimination between soul and non-soul, he understands what heya (abondonable) is and what is 鲍辫腻诲别测补 (acceptance). He firmly believes that soul exists, it is eternal, it is the agent of all actions, it enjoys the fruits of action, liberation is possible and the means of liberation is also there.[7] He being awakened contemplates on pure and perfect self, which results in cessation of the bondage of karmas.[8]
Acccording to Jains, just like fire is inferred through smoke, similarly a mystic aspirant with samyaktva can be inferred by the five characteristics: 艢补尘补 Tranquillity, 厂补峁僾别驳补鈥搆een desire for liberation, Nirveda鈥搘辞谤濒诲濒测 detachment, 础苍耻办补峁僷腻 Compassion鈥揻riendliness towards all and 膧蝉迟颈办腻测补鈥揟o have faith in truth, and the existence of soul, karma, rebirth, 尘辞办峁 etc.
How One Attains the Samyak Dar艣ana?
Now the question arises, how can one attain or develop samyak 诲补谤艣补苍补 and how does a mystic鈥檚 journey start? Tattvartha 厂奴迟谤补[9] elucidates Nisarga (spontaneous) and Adhigamaja (by Instructions) are the two ways of attaining samyaga 诲补谤艣补苍补. That which is acquired by some external causes such as instruction of preceptors, who have realised the divine within themselves, or are in the path of God-realisation, or by reading of scriptures is known as instruction based right world view. That which is attained as a natural process due to the qualitative transformation is called spontaneous attainment of right world view.
In both the cases of attainment of samyag 诲补谤艣补苍补, technically, the internal cause is purification of deluding karma. It is destruction or destruction-cum-subsidence or subsidence of sevenfold 尘辞丑补苍墨测补 karma such as perverse deluding (尘颈迟丑测腻迟惫补 尘辞丑补苍墨测补) faith deluding (samyaktva 尘辞丑补苍墨测补) and perversed cum faith deluding karma (尘颈艣谤补 尘辞丑补苍墨测补) and four 补苍补苍迟腻苍耻产补苍诲丑颈 碍补峁Ｄ乱补 (Intense passions) i.e., anger, greed, deceit and ego. Jainism details the stages of attainment of samyaktva. It believes that the attainment of samyaktva is an intrinsic process at the level of soul.
Jainism explains it in the form of three 办补谤补峁嘺 补蝉鈥�
- yath膩pravrtti 办补谤补峁嘺,
- ap奴rva 办补谤补峁嘺 and
- anivrtti 办补谤补峁嘺[10].
The soul passes through these three 办补谤补峁嘺 chronologically and then ultimately attains right world view. This process takes place within an antarmuharta. The soul after the termination of this period of 办补谤补峁嘺, experiences the dawn of samyaktva. At this moment the soul which was eternally bound with 尘颈迟丑测腻迟惫补, with perverted world view ends up or cut off the connection of 尘颈迟丑测腻迟惫补 and attains purity that leads to samyaktva. The soul that have attained the samyaktva, is sure to go liberation within a specified time period, (of namely) 补谤诲丑补辫耻诲驳补濒补-辫补谤腻惫补谤迟补苍补. The moment the soul experiences the dawn of samyaktva, it experiences spiritual joy and bliss which he had never before. It is this moment when the soul experiences the first spark of mystical experience, which is unexplainable. From this point their starts the mystical spiritual journey. Aspirant gives up all false belief and has firm faith in the reality and the words of 罢墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补. He gets detached from the world and meditates for the attainment of reality. Thus, there is change in his outlook as well as attitude towards the world.
This samyag 诲补谤艣补苍补 acts as the navigation (pilot) in guiding the soul towards liberation. It determines the rightness of knowledge and conduct. Further, there can be no rise, stability, growth and fulfilment of knowledge and conduct (character), unless they are founded on right world view.[11]
2 Right Knowledge
Knowledge plays an important role in attainment of liberation. 膧肠腻谤测补 Tuls墨 defines samyag j帽膩na is true cognition.[12] It is been described in Jaina scriptures as that knowledge which reveals the nature of things neither insufficiently nor with exaggeration, nor falsely, but exactly as it is and with certainty. Such knowledge is free from doubt, pervarsity adn indefiniteness.[13]
Nature of Right Knowledge
The 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补 厂奴迟谤补 speaks of knowledge as an instrument of knowing the object. According to Jaina scriptures, not all knowledge is right knowledge. That knowledge is perfect when it does not suffer from any false element like 尘颈迟丑测腻迟惫补 i.e. wrong world view that corrupts both attitude and understanding of the soul. Knowledge is not valued on the merit of logical validity but as a means for the ethical progress. So, the knowledge which does not help in achieving the goal is discarded as 补箩帽腻苍补 or 尘颈迟丑测腻箩帽腻苍补. As soon as the soul acquires right world view, the existing ordinary knowledge becomes right knowledge and the wrong knowledge is banished. It is also believed that right knowledge is acquired by pursuit with devotion by reading scriptures, understanding their full meaning in proper tense, etc.[14] Technically, right knowledge is attained by the destruction or destruction-cum-subsidence of knowledge obscuring karma.
According to Jaina philosophy, this righteous knowledge is the foundation of conduct. In the absence of knowledge, the path of conduct cannot be determined. This fact is emphasized in the key maxim of the Dasvekalika s奴tra, which pronounced it with the strongest voice 鈥�笔补岣峢补尘补峁� 峁嚹佱箛补峁� tao 诲补测腻鈥�[15] which means first adopt right knowledge and then follow the conduct accordingly.
The 膧惫补艣测补办苍颈谤测耻办迟颈[16] states that knowledge is useless without conduct and conduct is useless without knowledge. Thus, the Jaina attributes equal importance to both and also emphasises that knowledge has primacy over the conduct, the latter has non-possibility without the former.
3 Right Conduct
Right conduct is an integral and crowning constituent of the path of liberation. According to Jaina scriptures, conduct which takes the soul away from the bondage of karmas is righteous conduct.[17] It is predominantly activistic. It refers to moral and spiritual excellence[18].
Nature of Right Conduct
Ethically considered, the characteristics of samyag c膩ritra presents a background and a canvas for the illumination of one鈥檚 self towards the goal of attainting perfect equanimity and spiritual strength.[19] As per Jaina scriptures, conduct becomes perfect only when it is in tune with right world view and right knowledge. Right world view and right knowledge make an individual free from delusion and expounds what is worthy of abandonment and attainment and right conduct directs towards the practice of ethical codes, rules and discipline, which is required to pursue ultimate freedom. Right conduct includes with its fold the practise of fasting, renunciation, austerities, great vows, small vows, five fold regulations (samiti), etc.
The practise of conduct leads to the destruction of karmic matter and consequently the purity of the soul that culminate in self realisation.
Thus, when right knowledge is translated into spiritual discipline it constitutes the right conduct that is conducive to the path of emancipation or liberation and justifiable preceding cause of emancipation.
4 Significance of Three Jewels in Mysticism
Jainas give utmost importance to all the three Jewels for the attainment of Summum Bonum of spiritual life. Individually, they are incomplete and insufficient. All the three collectively help the aspirant soul to march to a higher plane and attain mystical experience.
As 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补 厂奴迟谤补 mentions:
鈥�n膩dansa峁噄ssa 峁嚹佱箛补峁冡箛膩峁噀峁嘺 惫颈峁嚹� na hunti caranagu峁嚹� Agu峁噄ssa natthi mokkho natthi amokkhassa nivva膩峁嘺m.鈥�[20]
One cannot have right knowledge in the absence of right world view, and without right knowledge one cannot develop right conduct. Absence of right conduct cannot lead to liberation or salvation. Therefore, all these are inevitable elements for salvation. Thus, right world view turns the aspirant in the right direction, right knowledge illumines the path and right conduct leads to the goal i.e. final liberation. Without these three, there is no way to salvation, eternal and universal law.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补 厂奴迟谤补, 1.1
[3]:
Ibid, 1.2; 础峁ａ弓补辫腻丑耻岣峚, by 膧肠腻谤测补 Kundakunda, Edited and Preface by Hukumcanda Bharilla, Pandit Todermal Sarvodaya Trust Jaipur and Sas膩hitya Prakasaka Patani Granthmala, Kolkata, 12th edn., 2016, 惭辞办峁辫腻丑耻岣峚, 38.
[4]:
Ratnakara峁囜笉 Sr膩vak膩c膩ra by 膧肠腻谤测补 Samantabhadra, comm. Sadasukhad膩sa Kasalivala, ed. Mannalal Jain, Introduction by Hukumchand Bharilla, 艢ri Madhya Ksetriya Mumukshu Mandar, Sagar, 1985, Verse 4.
[6]:
Illuminator of Jaina Tenents, p. 85.
[7]:
Jain Theism, p. 118.
[8]:
厂补尘补测蝉腻谤补, 3.3-5
[9]:
罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补 厂奴迟谤补, I.3 鈥�tannisarg膩d adhigam膩d v膩鈥�
[10]:
In the first process of Yath膩prav峁泃ti办补谤补峁嘺 leads to face to face with the knot of intense attachment and repulsion, and the second process of ap奴rva办补谤补峁嘺 enables one to cross it, by the third process of aniv峁泃ti办补谤补峁嘺, leads to the erge of the down of the enlightenment.
[11]:
Compendium of Jainism, 2nd edn., 2009, p. 187.
[13]:
Aspect of Jaina Religion, p. 40
[14]:
笔耻谤耻峁Ｄ乺迟丑补 厂颈诲诲丑颈耻辫腻测补 by 膧肠腻谤测补 Am峁泃acandra, With Hindi Commentary, Paramshrut Prabh膩vaka Mandal, Agas, 1966, verse 36.
[15]:
顿补蝉惫别腻濒颈测补峁�, 4.10
[16]:
膧va艣yaka Niryukti (Part 1), 95
[17]:
[18]:
Kalghatgi, T.G., Jaina View of Life, Jaina Sanskriti Samrakska Sangh, Sholapur, J墨varaj Jaina Granthmala, No.20, 1st edn., 1969, 2nd edn., 1984., p. 166.
[19]:
Jain View of Life, p. 167.
[20]:
鲍迟迟补谤补箩箩丑补测补峁嚹佱箛颈, 28.30.