Agam 01 Ang 01 Acharang Sutra Aayaro Terapanth

Author(s): Tulsi Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 14

PREFACE
The Ayāro (Skt. ĀCĀRĀNGA SŪTRA) begins with the quest for the soul. Even as the starting point of the philosophy of Vedanta is the Sutra: athato brahma-jijñāsā "Now begins the quest for the Supreme Reality (Brahma)", the starting point of Jain Philosophy is athāto ātma-jijnāsā "Now begins the quest for the soul.
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Meaning of Acara: That the soul exists, that it is eternal as well as ephemeral, that it itself is the doer of actions as well as the enjoyer of their fruits, that there is "bondage" and there are causes of it; that there is "liberation" and there are means to attain it these are the basic principles on which_rests the edifice of the Jain Ethics or ācāra. As the Acaranga elucidates all these, it may be spoken of as a treatise on acara or spiritual conduct.
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According to Jain philosophy, neither mere knowledge of philosophy nor mere practice of moral conduct can help one to attain liberation. It is the proper synthesis of both - knowledge and conduct-that leads to the final emancipation2, It is, therefore, not possible to keep these two in watertight compartments. The present canonical text, however, mainly deals with the acara, and hence it may be spoken of as the "Book of ācāru".
The term acara, as it was used by Bhagavan Mahāvira, does not connote mere moral conduct, but it was used in a wider sense. According to him, acara is of five kinds, viz., knowledge, faith, self-discipline, austerities and spiritual exertion. Thus it is clear that acara includes all the threeknowledge, faith as well as self-discipline (or spiritual conduct), which are the right means of achieving liberation. 1. Brahma-Sutra 1/1.
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2. Suyagado, 1/12/11: Ahamsu vijjācaraņaṁ pamokkho.