________________
137
Gommatsara, Jiva-kand Three stages of this right belief are noticeable. To begin with there is its absence, i.e. there is wrong belief. Then you may acquire right belief but lose it and slip from it to wrong belief, the condition of your belief during downfall. Thirdly, the condition of mixed right and wrong belief.
The above two triads give us six classes. These may be called subsidential, destructive, destructive-subsidential, wrong-belief, downfall-belief and mixed right-wrong belief. Here Right Belief is the basis of the quest.
13. Mind-Quest (Sanjna)
Souls have mind or not. They are rational or irrational. This is the rationality quest.
14. Assimilation-Quest (Ahara)
Souls are in an incarnation as celestial, human, sub-human, and hellish beings; there they are assimilating particles of matter for their physical bodies every instant.
But in transmigration from one condition of existence to another, there is no assimilation of matter of physical body. This distinction gives us the assimilation quest. That is, souls are : (1) those who are assimilating matter of their birth-bodies (Âháraka
Varganá); or (2) those who are not so assimilating it, i.e. in transmigration in the
three instants of omniscient overflow in the 13th and the 14th stage.
III. SPIRITUAL STAGES If we mark the freedom of pure soul from the impurifying bondage of matter we notice 14 stages.
1. The soul has delusion. It has wrong belief. (Mithyátva).
2. It has Right Belief, but it is falling from that to Wrong Belief. This is the Downfall Stage. (Sásádana).
3. It is in a stage of Mixed Right and Wrong Belief. (Miśra).
4. It has Right Belief; but does not act upon it; does not resolve or vow to follow it in actual life. It is Vowless Right Belief. (Avirata Samyaktva).
5. It may follow it by partial vows. We may call it the partial Vowstage. (Deśa-vrata).
6. It may be with all possible vows, but may keep them imperiectly, owing to negligence or illness (Pramáda). Call it the partial Vow-stage. (Pramatta-vrata).
7. If it has all vows and keeps them perfectly, we have the Perfect Vowstage. (Apramatta-vrata).
8. When all vows are kept perfectly, then new inner progress begins.
•
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
