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Indirect views on Jaina Mysticism Mysticism: It's Nature

According to E. Underhill, Mysticism is seen to be a highly specialized form of that search for reality, for lightened and completed life, which we have found to be a constant characteristic of human consciousness^[1]. In its pure form mysticism is the science of ultimate the science of union with the absolute and nothing else. With the experience is conscious complete, final and personal^[2]. The full mystical consciousness develops the power of apprehending the absolute pure being, the utterly transcendent^[3]. The particular mark of this full mystical consciousness is its dual power of knowing by communion the temporal and eternal, immanent and transcendent, aspects of reality^[4]. According to Underhill, this mystical experience of life which is yet possible to man. It is an active expression of a power latent.^[5]

Underhill鈥檚 above description on mysticism has very close resemblance with Jaina mysticism, it seems his above description is about Jaina mysticism, only differing at one point that, Jaina mysticism is not of union with transcendental self but it is the attainment of the transcendent state of the self.

According to Jainism, the soul has inherent capacity for self-realization and liberation. This state of self-realization is recognized as the highest ideal of the human life. In this state the soul develops omniscience and eternal bliss. Through its pure and infinite knowledge, the whole range of objectivity is immediate and simultaneously visualized with no temporal and spatial limitations. The mystic soul apprehends the reality, the ultimate truth or absolute truth at par excellence with all its paradoxicality. 鈥楢ccording to Jaina thinkers, this mystical achievement is the achievement of potent powers of the soul, unveiled by the soul鈥檚 own effort and not by divine grace. This is the final state of spiritual evolution, it is the state of lightened and completed life of consciousness, where all that a soul is to attain as human pursuit is attained in its fullness. It is purely subjective experience, in its most intense form.

Jainas agrees with Underhill that 鈥榤ysticism is the beginning and end of the metaphysics. 鈥楾rue mysticism is active and practical, not passive and theoretical. It is an organic life process and it is entirely spiritual activity^[6].

Mystic and its Nature

Defining mystic, Underhill states, the mystic is a person who attains to this (mystical) union, not the person who talks about it. Not to know but to be, is the mark of real initiate^[7]. In addition, she states, 鈥榯o be a mystic is simply to participate here and now in that real and eternal life in its fullest, deepest sense which is possible to men^[8] 鈥�. He witnesses to all that our spiritual consciousness, which shows itself in the 鈥榟unger for the absolute^[9].鈥�

Describing about the nature of great and true mystic, she further states, 鈥榠n the great mystics we see the highest and the widest development of that consciousness to which the human race has yet attained^[10]. He is an initiate of the secret. They are pioneers of the spiritual world and we have no right to deny validity of their discoveries. These great mystics are creators and inventors who have found a new form of life and have justified it-join upon the highest summit of the human spirit, the great simplifiers of the world.^[11] He is called as Whole-man. Though he will spend himself unceasingly for other men, became 鈥榓n agent of the eternal goodness鈥� he is destitute of super sensual ambitions and craves no occult knowledge or power.^[12] He serves without the hope of rewards.

According to Jainism, 罢墨谤迟丑补艌办补谤补 or 厂腻尘腻苍测补 碍别惫补濒墨 is the true mystic who has attained the state of perfection and self-realization in this very life. It is truly initiated in the realization of eternal truth in the fullest, deepest sense which is possible to men. The enlightened mystics preach, teach and expound the path of perfection, without any hope of reward, name and fame. He is God in human form, the acme of goodness and the enjoyer of infinity and divinity.

Mystic way

The object of mystic鈥檚 adventure, is the apprehension of or direct communion with that transcended reality.^[13] Man, ascending to the summit of its manhood, enters into that greater life for which he was made. In its journey towards this union, the subject commonly passes through certain well-marked phases, which constitute what is known as the 鈥榤ystic way鈥�.^[14]

The general movement of human consciousness when it obeys its innate tendency to transcendence is always the same. There is only one road from appearance to reality 鈥榤en passes on but the states are permanent forever.^[15] Thus, as embryo of physical man, be he saint or savage, passes through the same stages of initial growth, so too with the spiritual man.^[16] The souls, as it treads the ascending spiral of its road towards reality, experiences are the 鈥榗onstant鈥� of the transcendental life. Taken all together, they constitute phases in a single process of growth, involving the movement of consciousness from lower to higher levels of reality the steady remaking of character in accordance with the independent spiritual world.^[17]

Underhill describes five phases of mystical journey:

1. Awakening of the self to the consciousness of divine reality;
2. Purgation; state of pain and effort;
3. Illuminative;
4. Contemplative;
5. Union.

According to Jaina mysticism and ethical theory, self-realization is a long process. In course of its eternal wandering in various forms of existence, the soul at sometimes gets an indistinct vision and feels an impulse to realize it. The soul has to go through the various stages of spiritual development, called as 鈥�驳耻峁嘺蝉迟丑腻苍补鈥�. In these stages the soul delivers itself from the state of manhood to Godhood. These stages constitute the Jaina mystic way. According to Jaina 膧肠腻谤测补蝉, any mystic aspirant of any time and place, with the quest of truth must traverse these fourteen stages. Before the final accomplishment is made, a stage of vision and fall may intervene.^[18] In these stages, the soul gradually delivers itself, firstly from the worst, then from the less bad and finally from all kind of karmas and manifest the innate faculties of knowledge, belief and conduct in a more and more perfect form.鈥�^[19] These fourteen stages can be classified into the five states of Underhill which is already been discussed in K.C. Sogani.

Mysticism and Psychology

Underhill states, 鈥淚n a normal self, there are two forces, the desire to know more and the desire to love more, are ceaselessly at work.^[20] Urged by the cravings of feeling or of thought consciousness is always trying to run out to encounter the absolute.^[21] Amongst these two factors she emphasizes the expression of love more than the desire of knowledge.

She remarks:

鈥淚n the surface of life, though we recognized its essential wholeness, we distinguished three outstanding and ever-present aspects: the trinity in unity of feeling, thought and will. Amongst these we were obliged to give the primacy to feeling, as the power which set the machinery of thought and will to work,鈥�

This whole mechanism precedes before the practice of contemplative state; that leads to emergence of the deeper self, which makes man more or less mystic.^[22]

Underhill鈥檚 鈥榙esire of love鈥� can be compared with the 鈥�蝉补尘测补驳-诲补谤艣补苍补鈥� concept of Jainism. The jainas were aware that physical and mental disciplines are necessary condition of moral discipline. Knowledge and faith are preliminary steps on the path of self-realization. Implicit faith in the truth to be sought is necessary. It is the starting point of self-realization. Samyag-诲补谤艣补苍补 is the predilection or love for truth. Every soul has such predilection in some measure. But unless and until it develops into a self-conscious pursuit of truth, it does not help spiritual progress. The soul is conceived as groping in darkness before it acquires this love of truth. It is this love of truth that paves the way to right knowledge and right conduct. And it is meditation or contemplation, which leads from, love of truth to self-realization. Though right faith has its importance, Jain do believe that equal is the importance of right knowledge and right conduct, as combination of these leads to self-realization.^[23]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Mysticism, p. 68.

[2]:

Ibid, p. 52-53

[3]:

Mysticism, p. 26.

[4]:

Ibid, p. 61.

[5]:

Ibid, p. 53.

[6]:

Ibid, p. 61

[7]:

Ibid, p. 52

[8]:

Mysticism, p. 332

[9]:

Ibid, p. 25

[10]:

Ibid, p. 331

[11]:

Ibid, p. 46

[12]:

Ibid, p. 61

[13]:

Ibid, p. 50

[14]:

Ibid, p. 66

[15]:

Mysticism, p. 332

[16]:

Ibid, p. 331

[17]:

Ibid, p. 124

[18]:

Ethical Doctrines in Jainism, p. 170

[19]:

Shah Hemant, Gems of Jainism, Academy Philosophy, Ahemdabad, 2008, p. 115

[20]:

Mysticism, p. 33

[21]:

Ibid, p. 34

[22]:

Ibid, p. 49

[23]:

Tatia, Nathmala, Studies in Jaina Philosophy, P. V. Research Institute, Varanasi, 1951, p. 266