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Jains believe that the soul is ignorant of its true nature and is bounded by karma for eternity. It is due to karma that the soul migrates from one life cycle to another and passes through many pleasant and painful situations. The ignorant soul, due to its action of attachment and aversion, continues to feel happiness and unhappiness and attracts and binds new karma.
To overcome the suffering, Jainism lays out the spiritual path that consists of integrated trinity; Right Conviction or Faith (Samyag Darshan), Right Knowledge (Samyag Jnän), and Right Conduct (Samyak Chäritra). They must coexist in equilibrium in a person if one is to make any spiritual progress on the path of liberation.
Initially, one needs to acquire the proper knowledge of the true nature of soul and other reality such as matter, karma and other nonliving substances. When one is totally convinced of one's knowledge, at that moment this knowledge will remove the ignorance about one's own nature. This stage of spirituality is called realization of truth, which is known as Samyaktva or the attainment of Right Conviction and Right Knowledge. Popularly it is known as the self-realization stage or Samyaktva.
01 INTRODUCTION TO JAINISM
The realization of truth leads to Right Conduct. Various spiritual stages exist in practicing the Right Conduct called Gunasthänak. Right Conduct includes:
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Compassion and non-violence (Ahimsa) towards all living beings
Pluralism of views (Anekäntaväda or Syädväda) towards all faiths and ideas
Non-possession (Aparigraha) or limitation of possessions
and non-possessiveness
Self-purification, self-control, asceticism, and meditation
With regards to truth, Jain philosophy firmly states that the whole truth cannot be observed from a single viewpoint by common people. To understand the true nature of reality, it is essential to acknowledge the multiple perspectives of each situation or idea. We must strive to be open-minded and embrace the positive thoughts and vantage points of other human beings, religions, and
austerity,
JAINISM AND SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
penance,
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