Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays

SR No.: 006933
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy
Publication Year: 2002
Total Pages: 166
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 33

this sort of life. No doubt, intellectual learning and moral conversions may facilitate spiritual awakening in, certain selves, but this cannot as a rule bring about the latter. A spiritually unawakened man may be an astute intellectualist, a resolute moralist, but he will lack that spiritual quality by virtue of which he may be called a real saint, a seeker of spiritual truth, a person moving on the path of religion. Thus spiritual awakening is to be sharply distinguished from moral and intellectual accomplishments.
Now the question is : What are the criteria of samyagdarśana, or spirituul awakening? Is there any way to judge the. occurrence if spiritual awakening in the life of an aspirant? The answer given is this that though spiritual awakening is a subjective phenomenon, yet the Jaina Acāryas have given certain individual and social characteristics that accompany samyagdarśana. In general it may be said that the spiritually awakened self is without any iota of fear and pride. He is not frightened when worldly pleasures part company and troubles accompany him. Nor is he perturbed by the life hereafter. He has no fear of death, disease, accidents, insecurity, and of losing prosperity.55 Again he has comprehended the futility of pride, and consequently pride of learning, honour, family, caste, power, opulence, penance and body has been forsaken by him.56 Besides the spiritually awakened-self develops certain individual characteristics in his own personality. First, he regards, without any doubt, kindness to all creatures as dharma and any injury to them as adharma.s? Secondly, he does not hanker after transient pleasures of the world.58 Thirdly, he dissociates himself from irrational and unscientific traditional beliefs. These three characteristics are technically known as niḥsankita, niņkānksita and amūdhadrsţi respectively. Besides, there are certain social characteristics which emanate from the spiritually awakened being. First, he does not hatè a meritorious being owing to certain diseased bodily conditions and the like.S9 Secondly, he does not lay open the faults and weaknesses of others and does not publicize his own good deeds. Thirdly, if any body is constrained to deviate from the path of righteousness, he re-establishes him
Jaina Mysticism and other essays