Essence of Jainism

SR No.: 007623
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 46
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 269 KB

Page 4

Chapter 2: KNOW THYSELF
Je Egam Jänai Se Savvam Jänai, Je Savvam Jänai Se Egam Jänai
Ächäräng Sutra
He who knows one (soul), also knows all; he who knows all, knows the one.
When one talks of religion, the questions may arise, 'Why do we bother about religion? Can we not be happy in this life without worrying about religion? If one is healthy, has a lovable spouse and children that they feel proud of, has enough earning from job or profession and possesses all the amenities that one needs, what more is religion going to offer?'
These questions indicate a genuine curiosity. Let us therefore examine them. The concept underlying these questions revolves around our body. Its health, its relations, its well being, comforts and luxuries it can indulge into, are supposed to bring forth happiness. Accordingly, when such situations arise, we happen to consider ourselves happy. Unfortunately, however, the body with which we identify ourselves and every thing else related to it happens to be transitory. All the situations are ephemeral. As such, the happiness that we might be experiencing from the different situations, can disappear at any time. We do not know what is going to happen the next moment. Our so-called happiness happens to be unstable and short-lived.
Even if situations of our interest were likely to continue indefinitely, peace and happiness may not result therefrom. As poet Shelly put it in one of his poems, we are prone to look before and after and pine for what is naught.' Hardly any one feels contented with what he has. We have the tendency to desire what we don't have. Our desires are endless and so long as the desires remain unsatisfied, no one can ever feel happy and experience the peace that can lead to blissful pleasure. We may strive hard for achieving that pleasure but hardly any one attains it during his
life.
This happens because we hardly try to explore who we are and what is our true nature. Nothing against our nature is going to give us lasting happiness or real satisfaction. Jain scriptures therefore define religion as 'Vatthu Sahävo Dhammo'. It means that religion is the nature or property of the matter. Without knowing ourselves and without realizing our own nature, we have been trying to gain happiness. It eludes us, because we have been trying to gain it from the extraneous sources. We have thus been dwelling in a state of delusion about ourselves. It can also be said that we have been pursuing a mirage.
Herein comes the role of religion. A generally accepted definition of religion is 'Dharayati Iti Dharmah' It means that what holds (from falling) is religion. Our deluded state constitutes a fall and the religion tries to protect us therefrom. It teaches us that the physical body with which we identify ourselves looks alive on account of the soul that abides in it. That soul is our true self. We are the consciousness pervading the body and our association with the body terminates at the end of life. The true nature of consciousness is to know whatever happens without any sense of craving or aversion. It is therefore futile to be pleased or displeased with different situations. Thus by revealing our true nature, the religion helps in extricating us from the deluded state, in which we have been entangled since the time without beginning. The religion teaches us to know ourselves.
The quotation at the top of this chapter is taken from Ächärang Sutra. It states that he, who knows soul, knows every thing else. This is so because the knowledge of true Self as pure, enlightened, ageless, immortal and blissful consciousness leads to the desireless state, where nothing remains to be known.
This, of course, does not mean that we should not try to change an undesirable situation, nor does it endorse inaction. As long as the soul is embodied, it would stay active. There are different types of activities that a monk or a layman should undertake. The religion lays down that every