Jaina Philosophy and Religion

SR No.: 001604
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nyayavijay
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 500
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Epistemology
File Size: 12 MB

Page 29

CHAPTER 1
ESSENTIALS OF JAINA PHILOSOPHY
Introductory
How many reals are there in the world? There are two fundamental reals-the sentient and the insentient. There is no third fundamental real besides these two. They exhaust the entire universe. They are known by the common term 'substance'.
That which is devoid of sentience, feeling, is insentient. Contrary to it, that whose nature is sentience is sentient; it is soul. Atman, jiva and cetana are synonymous words meaning soul. The defining characteristic of soul is cognitive faculty.
From the spiritual standpoint seven more reals are derived from these two, thus making the total of nine reals. Liberation being the ultimate goal to be achieved by living beings, those things whose understanding is absolutely necessary for the attainment of liberation are here considered to be reals. So the Jaina thinkers have extensively explained these nine reals.
Terms Jina' and 'Jaina'
The term 'Jaina' is derived from the term 'Jina'. And the term 'Jina' is the common name for the supreme souls who are totally free from all the feelings of attachment, aversion, etc., that defile the soul. It is a noun formed from the Sanskrit verbal root 'j' meaning 'to conquer'. Thus, it meaningfully well applies to the supreme souls who have won victory over the feelings of attachment, aversion, etc. Arhan (the Worthy), Vitaraga (One free from attachment) and Parameṣṭhi (the Supreme Divinity) are synonyms of 'Jina'. And devotees of Jina are called 'Jaina'. And the Religion propounded by Jina is called 'Jaina Religion'. Arhata Dharma (Religion propounded by the Worthy), Anekāntadarśana (Philosophy of Non-one-sidedness), Nirgranthaśāsana (Teachings of the Knotless),