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Religion in everyday life
Until vision and knowledge are not crystallized, what practice can one adopt? How can conduct ever be pure without knowledge? He who has not followed the right practice cannot attain liberation and everlasting peace. To attain liberation, one has to be steadfast in the path illuminated by these Three Jewels.
The rule is the same whether one is a layperson or an ascetic. The ascetic's meditation may be absolute, while the layman may meditate just partially, but both meditate on these Three Jewels. It is said that though the layman treads the path of liberation, he gets entangled in the maze of worldly attachments. Therefore, he may reach heaven, but not beyond. He does not reach the abode of liberation directly. This is because his sadhana is incomplete. He needs to endeavour a lot more to reach the abode of liberation. The same holds true for the monk as well. In today's world so full of sin, it is not assured that even a monk can achieve liberation in one lifetime. He has to go to heaven and then be reborn again. And in this manner he has to go through many such cycles of birth and death before his soul is free of its karmic bonds and ready for its final journey to the abode of liberation which lies beyond the realms of heaven.
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A householder cannot escape the responsibilities of his family and society. He cannot justify any act of irresponsibility by comparing himself to the monk who he believes does not serve the society and nation in a practical way. The monk severs his ties with society to enter a way of life with a very special focus, but the householder does not do that. And moreover, the monk does serve the society and nation, but in a very different manner.
The primary purpose of water whether in a pot or a river is to quench thirst. Similarly, be it an ascetic or a layperson, the
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The Jaina belief is that heaven is attained as a reward for good karmas. When the duration of the reward gets over, the soul returns to this world. Heaven and hell are all part of the transmigration cycle. As long as negative and positive karmic bonds exist, transmigration exists. Liberation is the cessation of all karmas. It is beyond the realms of heaven. The scriptures also say that in this present cycle, because of the deterioration of values and conduct, the doors of liberation are shut. So pious souls can attain heaven as a reward of their meritorious deeds, but not liberation.
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