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An Epitome of Jainism
6. Kaya klesa, Mortification of the body, so long as the mind is not disturbed.
Internal austerities are also six, viz:
1. Prayaschitta, Expiation.
2. Vinaya, Reverence.
3. Vaiyávṛitya, Service of the saints or worthy people.
4. Svadhyaya, Study.
5. Vyutsarga, Giving up attachment to the body, etc.
6. Dhyana, Concentration.
Liberation
When all the karmic matter has left the soul, it becomes the Pure Soul, the Realised (Siddha) or the Liberated (Mukta) Soul.
Now in Jainism, the soul is immaterial and has none of the special attributes of Matter. Matter is devoid of consciousness and has none of the special attributes of Soul.
Mind is matter. Karmas are matter. Pleasure and pain are matter. Prosperity and adversity are matter, as being the pleasure-and pain-feeling karma, due to the presence or absence of some kind of matter.
The Saint Kunda Kunda says in Panchástikaya *:
"Things enjoyable by the senses, the five senses themselves, the bodies (including the five kinds of bodies), the mind, the Karmas, and other material objects-all this is known as matter (pudgala)".
All matter is visible, even karmic matter, though not to our physical eye. Certainly mental matter is visible directly to mental knowledge.
The inflow and bondage of Karmic matter being the essential causes of all pain and pleasure, it is possible in the light of Jainism to try to find out, what kind of Karma is the cause of a particular kind of pain or failure, and how the inflow of the karma is stopped and how, if it is already bound, it can be shed. If this is done even roughly and approximately, the study of Karmas becomes of immense and intense practical value. Also with caution and patience, it can be tested by and made a subject of, experiments. Perhaps some day in the hands of some lucky scientist, its results may be proved by science, like the life in plants, which given as an axiom in Jaina books, was later proved by Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose scientifically.
Soul moulds matter. Every pain and adversity can be treated scientifically and surely in accordance with the Karma Philosophy of Jainism.
Hence the necessity of studying the Jaina Karma Philosophy. It is not merely interesting as being of a curious character and great antiquity. It is not important only for the study of the history and evolution of some most important aspects of philosophy and religion generally, and particularly of Hindu and Jaina origin. It becomes essential (if it is found to be true)
* Supra Book 3, pp. 22-73
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