Basic Jain Culture Non Possession

Author(s): Padamchand Shastri, N L Jain
Publisher: Veer Seva Mandir Trust

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letter from Gorawala Khushal Chandra from Varanasi. In essence, it states that cause-effect relationship of four passions and five sins is just reverse. The effect (passions other than greed) has been stated first while the cause (passion of greed) has been stated later. It means that out of four passions ofanger, pride, deceit and greed, the last one is the origin of the other three passions. The passions of anger, pride and deceit will originate only in presence of greed whatever may be its object. Similarly, out of the five sins of violence, falsity, stealing, illicit sex and possessions, the last one, i.e., possession is the origin of all the remaining four sins. The four sins originate only due to possessions whatever may be its objective. It is stated in 'Rajavartika', as has already been referred earlier (7.1.7), that all the sins have origin in possession. In the resolve of 'This is mine', there are tendencies of safeguarding etc. which cause violence. The living being speaks false, steals and incurs illicit sex due to the possession only.
The acharyas have called possession as attachment only. Here, the attachment refers to fourteen kinds of possession. The attachment means the volitions of'myness' and this is the root of all kinds of possession. The disliking, sorrow and fear etc. also originate from it. That is why, one should get away from 'my-ness'. The venerable Jinas are called 'detached' rather than de-aversed, because of the prominence of attachment. If this is allayed or the volitions of attachment are allayed, the individual can become 'Jina'. In the Jinistic path, possession has been stated to be the origin of all sins and the individual renouncing it has been called as 'Jina' or 'Jain'.
Some persons admit the attachment etc. as violence and absence of attachment etc. as non-violence. Thus, they are not differentiating between violence and possession. Such people quote Amritchandra acharya who has stated in his text (see ref. 20) which means that the sum and substance of Jain scripture is that non-origination of attachment etc. is non-violence and their origination is termed as violence.