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Stages of Spiritual Development (Gunasthana)
Jainism believes that soul is inherently pure. But, due to karmic matters, its purity is tainted since the karma is responsible for its imperfection and the spiritual progress is determined by the extent of removal of karmic particles, Guna means the life-force or essence of soul, equanimity, conduct, virility, etc. Sthana means the higher and lower stages of the purity. Gunasthana is the stages known as states of virtue. The virtue does not mean an ordinary moral quality but it stands for the nature of soul, i.e. knowledge, belief and conduct.107
Gunasthana is a logical order of decreasing sinfulness and increasing purity.108 According to Jainism, the soul has potentiality or inherent capacity to come out of the samsara and to attain emancipation. This capacity or tendency causes detachment with the worldly pain and pleasure and tries to elevate the self. This urge, which comes out from within the soul, is known as yathapravrittikarana.109 Yathapravrittikarana consists in Apurvakarana and Anivrittikarana. Apurvakarana implies the destruction of the duration (sthitighata), destruction of intensity (rasaghata), reduction of duration of karma (gunashreni) and reduction of intensity of karma (gunasamkramana). While Anivrittikarana implies the destruction of passions and vision deluding karma.110
In Samavayanga sutra!ll, we observe the fourteen Jivasthanas according to purity (annihilation of karma):
I. Mithyadrishti (Perversity of Attitude) -- This first stage is characterised by the presence of wrong belief. The self accepts and treats the wrong belief as a right belief under a false impression. Abhavyas (not capable of liberation) live eternally in this Gunasthana while bhavya (capable of liberation) remains in this Gunasthana due to certain untrue belief which will vanish by the influence of right vision. A self in this Gunasthana due to perversity of attitude does not relish the truth just as a man suffering
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HE CONCEPT OF DIVINITY IN JAINISM
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