Jain Journal 1999 10

SR No.: 520136
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication
Publication Year: 1999
Total Pages: 66
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, India_Jain Journal, & India
File Size: 4 MB

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JAIN JOURNAL : Vol-XXXIV, No. 2 October 1999
aversion are the root causes of karma and karma originates from infatuation; karma is the root cause of birth and death and these (birth and death) are said to be the source of misery. He further adds, "None can escape the effect of their own past karmas' (Uttaradhyayanasutra, 32.7).
Futility of Material Comforts
Lord Mahavira says that all material comforts and pleasures can never satiate any body and give him true happiness. He preached the doctrine of non-possession to limit the desires for worldly pursuits. He says, “It is owing to attachment that a person commits violence, utters lies, commits theft, indulges in sex and develops a yearning for unlimited hoarding" (Bhakta-parijñā 132). Possessiveness and greed are the main causes which create tension in the life of an individual and also in the society at large. Hence, an aspirant should limit his possessions and desires to the minimum extent.
Equality
Mahāvīra laid great stress on the equality of all human beings. Stressing action and not birth a determining factor of superiority was a radical step in the teachings of Mahāvira. He proclaimed, “A person does not become a monk by merely tonsuring, nor a brāhmaṇa by reciting the Omkar Mantra, nor a Muni by living in the forest, nor a hermit by wearing clothes woven out of Kusa grass. One becomes a monk by equanimity, a brāhmana by celibacy, a Muni by his knowledge and a hermit by his austerities” (Uttaradhyayana-sūtra, 25, 31-32). He boldly condemned the caste system based on birth alone for the defects that had crept in it at that time.
Lord Mahāvīra had great regard for women. He said that both men and women were eligible to attain emancipation after destroying the passions and karmas. He declared, "There are many virtuous women who are famous for their purity and chastity. They are like the goddesses before whom even the celestial bow" (Bhakta-Parijña 995).
Catholicity of Approach
There has been catholicity and absence of dogmatic approach in Jaina belief. Lord Mahāvīra said that Dharma is of prime importance to every one in life. In the Daśavaikālika-sūtra, he says that righteousness (Dharma) is supremely auspicious. Its constituents are non-violence, self-restraint and austerity. Even the celestials revere him who is rooted in Dharma (Ibid. 1.1). Any person, irrespective of