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THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH.
795
world being my illusion, will it come to an end on my redemption ? It is certain that there is such a thing as release from the bondage of samsára, which few have understood better than the great founder of Buddhism, and it is also certain that the world would not come to an end on the attainment of Nirvana by an individual. The weakness of these systems lies in the narrow horizon of thought which renders them one-sided, hence, imperfect. Truth is not exhausted, without remainder, when looked at from any particular point of view; its full grasp can be had only when the student looks at it from all sides. It is here that the philosophy of Jainism comes to the rescue of the student mystified by the reticence of Buddha and the vacillation of Vedanta. It shows that the soul enters Nirvana in a Solar body which is pure divine Will, and, therefore, undecaying. It is separate from all other Emancipated Souls, and yet not so in respect of the nature of its pure Essence. Hence, when a Redeemed Soul reaches Nirvana, it becomes part and parcel of Divinity in the above sense. In respect of the quality of Consciousness, it is one with all, but in respect of its Solar body which signifies Pure Spirit, it has its own 'impersonal' personality, like that of the drop in the sea.
The continuity of the world is not affected by the attainment of Nirvana on the part of individuals. The world is, truly enough, like an illusion, in many respects, but it is not an actual dream. Hence, the emancipation of the individual is only consistent with his own disillusionment, not with the breaking of the 'spell'
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