Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

Author(s): Suzuko Ohira
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 151

121
canonical stage. However, excluding the case of XI.8.458 above, it is difficult to locate a hint as to on what basis the Jaina theoreticians came to formulate the rules as such. And it may not be idle to speculate how the canonical authors, possibly in the late third and fourth stages, came to establish this rebirth chart, which we attempt in the following.
286
A rule that M alone can accomplish emancipation must have been laid down by the third canonical stage, for it is well-known to the Prajnapana. The order of gatis in terms of spiritual development is therefore H.A-6 M.G.M in due order. And the canonical authors in the late third stage had been roughly acquainted with the general characteristic natures of beings in this and that class pertaining to their physical, psychical and ethical aspects. Let us keep all this in mind as the general background for our following speculation.
287
The behaviors of A and M who are possessed of mind have the widest range of action from the worst to the best. Therefore they are allowed to take rebirth in all forms of existence. H who have already suffered the worst possible kinds of existence are prepared to proceed to the higher types of existence, because they must have repented enough of their sins. It is also a common understanding that grave sinners and criminals can comprehend religion much more deeply, than ordinary believers. They can thus skip A', but they are not worthy of attaining G, therefore A and M may be the proper states of existence for them to proceed to next. That A repeat A' is well-known in the third canonical stage. Al who are without mind cannot behave positively well or badly, therefore the range of their action is free from the two extremes, and the nature of their action is confined within the range of their survival for existence, which is habitual, repetitive and non-progressive. Accordingly, they tend to repeat the existence within the circle of Al-, but cannot easily proceed to the other forms of existence. If Al* can proceed to the next higher stage at all they ought to be born as A and M, for their behaviour and action are neither too bad to be born as H nor too good to be born as G. G who have fulfilled the happiest and most prosperous modes of life without effort cannot be too bad to be born in the lowest states of existence, i.e., H and Al-, thus allotted to them are A and M.
288
We can somehow explain in this way how the canonical authors' minds worked in establishing these rules. These rules were then largely determined on the basis of the behaviour patterns of beings in terms of religious psychology and ethics. The canonical authors added to them the account of popular belief as a criterion to formulate the rebirth chart of beings.
(7) Transit motion
289
The T.S. is well acquainted with the mechanism of a soul's transit motion to