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COMPENDIUM OF JAINISM
Liberation. With the attainment of right faith, we should master the system of Jaina philosophy by study of the scriptures and a faithful assimilation of the principles. Every tenet conducive to advancement of the self must be understood correctly and fully, dispelling all doubts and miscoriceptions. Such knowledge must guide our thoughts and speech. Perfect knowledge is inherent in the soul but is obscured by the Jñānăvaraniya Karma. It is only by subsidence or destruction of that Karma that right knowledge can be gained partially or fully.
Eventhough the rise of Right Knowledge is simultaneous with the acquisition of Right Faith, yet the Karmas that hinder their rise ai progress are different. Mithyātva is.common to both but the Darsanāvaraniya Karma is the veil that obscures raight faith. There is detailed discussion above as to how samyaktva could be acquired. Samyaktva is the breath of right knowledge, the latter grows in its dimensions and brilliance in proportion to the destruct. ion of the Jñānāvaraniya Karma. With the entire destruction of there emerges the refulgent knowledge or Omniscience. Just as the sun can shine with full brilliance only with the melting away of all clouds that obscure his light, so also knowledge which is inherent in the soul can become omniscience only when the cloud of the Jñānāvaraniya Karma has been vanquished. Samyag darśana is as much the natural attribute of the soul as samyagjñāna. The causal connection between knowledge and faith is to be found in the fact that rational faith presupposes some sort of intellectual enquiry or investigation, notwithstanding the fact that right knowledge is itself dependent on right faith.19 Knowledge and faith are inter-dependent.
While our senses and the mind can be the media for acquisition of knowledge, the scriptures occupy a significant position in the assimilation of ethical and spiritual knowledge. Their devoted study not only moulds our outlook and character but also effectively shapes our mind to give a direction and meaning to our entire life. The twelve angas and the sūtras occupy a special place amongst the scriptures, though there is divergence of opinion
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