Essence of Jainism

SR No.: 001537
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sukhlal Sanghavi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1988
Total Pages: 228
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Religion
File Size: 12 MB

Page 129

Non violence
105
question comes to the protection of one of the two, we, ordinary persons will protect the body and neglect spiritual control; the person who has duly attained to the state of death by Samādbi, will act quite the contrary. Physical and spiritual life both are rea. lities no doubt; but one prefers one or the other as per his right and status in critical circumstances. Only a person possessing such a high spiritual life is permitted fast unto death in the Scriptures. Not so the cowards or the frightened or the covetous. From this clarification it can easily be understood that one saves ones self of the nature of divine life, from downfall by bringing an end to ones life by fast unto death. Such a person is totally non-violent in the real sense of the term from a philosophical point of view. Wben is end of the body a Suici le ? Auswer to Critics
When the writers describe as suicide such an anticipation of death, they have not thought and pondered sufficiently over it to catch its essence. If however, one undertakes fast unto death, like Gandhiji, under the inspiration of such a lofty purpose, without any passion or jealousy towards anybody, in a spirit of complete
endship, and wtth a delighted mind, then, the same critics will eulogize that fast unto death and will never take it to be suicide. This is because the purpose and way of life of such personalities is before their very eyes. On the other side, in the Jain tradition, there are persons who resort to fast in anticipation of death with an inspiration of sacred motives; their aims and order or life are not known to them. The words of the Scriptures accept the view and it is in complete tune with non-violence. Let us cite one example. If an individual sees that his house is on fire and he is not in a position to save it, what will he do? He will, in the end, allow his house to burn and save himself. The person desiring to resort to spiritual life is in the sam: state. He will not put an end to his body vaioly, this is prohibited by the Scriptures. The Scriptures take protection of th: bɔdy to be a duty, bit for self-control. When one is in a totally hɔpeless state, end of ones body will be both death by Samādhi and non-violence under the conditions mentioned above. Otherwise it is death and violence.