Introduction to Jainism and its Culture

SR No.: 001605
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore
Publication Year: 2002
Total Pages: 334
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Culture
File Size: 21 MB

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my pleasure and pain and failed to comprehend the real sources. And that is why I never thought of confronting those real sources.
When I tried to fathom deeper it was revealed on me that there were two root causes for my miseries - one, my ignorance and two, my association with non-being or matter. Due to my ignorance I never knew what was my true form? And what is the form of this entity called non-being or matter? Had I known my own form I would have understood the self and recognized 'the other'. Thus with the disjunctive knowledge of the self and 'the other' I would have turned away from the other and indulged in the right endeavour for breaking the bonds of miseries or getting liberated.
The second cause of my miseries is my association with matter or non-being. Due to this, since time immemorial, matter continues to have control over me and veil my virtues with bondage of karmas. This continuing process of bondage of karmas still plagues me. Now that I have the awareness of the self and 'the other', the form of being and non-being, I also understand the character of karmas. Karmas impinge on me and create a bond by area specific pervasion (kšetrāvagāha). This inflow of karmas is called aśrava and creating a bond is called bandha. After knowing the form and character of these I have to accelerate my efforts for liberation. I will have to take two steps for this. I will have to block the inflow of karmas. This will be samvara. The karmas that are already fused with me will have to be slowly removed one by one. This is called nirjarā or shedding of karmas. A day will come when, with my endeavour, I will shed all the karmas fused with my soul. This is called mokśa or liberation; liberation from miseries, liberation from karmas.
Thus there are seven fundamentals in this world -- being (jīva), non-being (ajīva), inflow of karmas (āśrava), bonding with karmas (bandha), blocking the inflow of karmas (samvara), shedding the karmas (nirjarā), liberation (mokśa). Some ācāryas (ascetic leaders) include pāpa (sin) and punya (merit) and accept nine fundamentals. Those who accept only seven fundamentals consider punya and pāpa to be part of āśrava as they are the motive cause of inflow of karmas.
Of these seven the true fundamentals are only two - being and
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