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

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Jaina Path of Purification (Liberation)
who use or enjoy those things, by doing so approve his acts of violence. Not only that, but they by using or enjoying those things directly or indirectly cause him to commit acts of violence while producing them. So, users or enjoyers of those things are defiled by violence involved in their production and trade. Not only the person who actually does the vicious or virtuous acts binds as a result the inauspicious or auspicious karmas, but also those who urge or force him to do those acts or those who approve his acts bind the respective karmas. Of course, it is possible that the mental state of the actual doer is more acute than that of the one who causes him to do the act or of the one who approves his act. But this is not the absolute statement. The mental state of the one who forces others to do the act is more acute than that of those who have to do the act helplessly under pressure. For instance, the degree of furiousness of an officer who forces a policeman to beat the accused is higher than that of the policeman who has to beat the accused helplessly. Similarly, the mental state of the person who praises, approves and strongly propagates the acts of violence is possibly more acute than the one who actually does them. Man being imperfect cannot know as to whose mental state is more acute. But this much is certain that all the three bind the karmas according to the acuteness of their mental states.
Life forces are ten-three channels of activity, viz., mind, speech and body, five sense-organs, the duration of life, and respiration. To destroy or injure, through negligence or ill-will, one or more life forces of one's own or of others is violence. From this follows that through negligence or ill-will to hurt the feelings of others, to insult others, to censure others, to speak ill of others behind their back, to cause fear or mental torture to others, in short, to do wrong to others or to wound their feelings is violence. Even in the absence of actual overt act of injuring the life forces of others, an evil act of violence is committed through mere entertaining ill-will or ill-thought. Lying, theft, dishonesty, cheating, and mental states of anger, greed, pride, jealousy, hatred, etc.,-all these are of the nature of violence and hence vices. Real cultivation or observance of non-violence consists in being ever vigilant and engaged in the acts of purifying mind by removing those mental defects and bad thoughts.
The following aphorism presents the definition of violence: 'pramattayogāt pranavyaparopanṇam himsa'', that is, 'the destruction of life due to an act involving negligence is violence'. The term 'pramäda' yields two mean
1. Tattvärthasutra, VII.8.
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