Book Title: $JES 401 Jain Philosophy and Practice 2 Level 4 Book
Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

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Page 168
________________ Soul's conduct becomes perfect pure at this stage. That is why purity is most important virtue of all ten virtues. Greed passion is the worst of all and that is why the purity is one of the best virtues. The attachment - rag- is part of the greed passion. Impurity of the soul is the attachment, aversion, and obsession (Moha) and when you get rid of them then the soul obtains purity. Satya or truthfulness: Truthfulness means saying what is beneficial and refraining from harsh words, back biting, derogatory language, etc. Hiding of truth for saving some one's life is excusable. To speak the truth one has to know the truth. With right faith and right knowledge, one knows the real nature of the self as well as the real nature of six substances (dravyas). Speech is the modification of the matter particles while the truth is the virtue of the pure soul. Partial vow of truthfulness, complete vow of truthfulness, restriction of speech and control of spoken words are four levels described in the scripture. (Satya Anuvrata, Satya Mahä vrata, Bhäshä Samiti and Vachan Gupti.) All these four things have relationship with the speech. • Anuvrata: Partial vow of truthfulness means not to indulge in gross lies • Mahä vrata: complete vow of truthfulness means only to speak truth and not to tell even a subtle lie. Bhäshä Samiti: restriction of speech means to speak only if it is absolutely necessary and to speak with sweetness and not to use harshness, and not to exaggerate the truth. Vachan Gupti: control of spoken words means not to speak at all. Therefore, all four things involve all spoken or non-spoken words. Satya dharma means something different from spoken words. Sanyam (Self-restraint): Self-restraint means disciplining mind, speech and body so as not to injure any living beings and exercising carefulness. Therefore, Self-restraint is of two types, restraining from inflicting injury to all the living beings and detachment from sensual objects. In self-restraint one takes away his attentive consciousness (Upayoga) from other objects and concentrates within himself. This is absolute definition of self-restraint. Other definition of self-restraint is to accept five great vows, to take out all passions like anger etc., to control the activities of mind, speech and body and to conquer the objects of five senses. Complete self-restraint is only possible in human life. There is no self-restraint in heavenly or infernal life. In five-sensed animal life, there can be partial self-restraint. 168 One may argue that the senses are the reason that one obtains happiness but actually control over the desires of sensual pleasures is the key of real happiness, as we all know that desires are endless. In fact the soul's inherent nature is to be happy all the time. The pure inherent nature is independent of outside things like the senses. Super sensuous happiness do not expect anything else's help. The happiness and the knowledge obtained by the senses are the transient in nature, transient happiness is also not the real one but is perceived one. Senses are material particles and can only perceive the material particles having touch, taste, and smell sight and hearing. The soul does not have the attributes of the matter. That is why the senses are not useful in the knowledge of the true state of the soul. Senses give sensual knowledge and pleasure while the soul has super sensuous knowledge and happiness. Therefore to obtain the super sensuous happiness one has to go beyond the sensual aspect. Self-restraint is the increase of passionless state after obtaining the right faith. JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE - 2

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