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PATHWAY TO LIBERATION
299
According to Jainism, the march of the soul towards a spiritual life starts with the attainment of Samyaktva. With the right insight, the individual exerts to acquire the knowledge of the world he lives in, the nature of the principle substances Jiva and Ajiva, the causes of bondage of various kinds of Karmas, and the vows and practices by which he can get release from the Karmas. The moral and spiritual principles which are aimed at internal purity and release from attachments pave the way for evolution leading to purification of the soul. Dhyāna or meditation is of supreme importance for achieving concentration of the mind and liberation of the soul.
The difficulties of attaining pure and unsullied concentration have been emphasised with cogent reasons. The wavering mind is often disturbed by popular thoughts of likes and dislikes, of hatred and anger, of selfishness and greed. All such impurities of thought which disturb concentration have to be overcome by the practice of virtues and vows, austerities and suffering and, introspection and repentance. If progress is kept up, the virtuous (dharma) meditation and the white (sukla) meditation enable the aspirant to achieve the much-coveted victory over entanglements of the soul until he destroys them fully in the manner discussed above.
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