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9. NIYAMSARA
THE WORD Niyama literally means, “rule or law," and Sára means "the right.” Niyamsara thus signifies the Right Rule, i.e. the true and indispensable law for the attainment of liberation.
The sole object and the whole gist of this treatise is to show that the all-pure, all-conscious, all-blissful and self-absorbed soul alone is the Siddha, a perfect soul. If a soul is in bondage with kârmic matter, i.e. if it has any connection, whatsoever, with the Non-Soul, it is imperfect, and under delusion. It is imperfection or delusion which is accountable for the continuance of transmigrations, and experiences of pain and pleasure. In order to obtain liberation, perfection, eternal beautitude, a soul must get rid of all connection with the Non-self. When this connection with the Non-self is completely severed, Siddha-pada, Perfection, is attained.
Right Belief, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct have been dealt with, from two points of view, the real and the practical,
The real is the only sure and direct path; while the practical is an auxiliary cause to the attainment of the real. Real path of liberation is absorption in the self.
Attachment and aversion, which include all passionate thought activities, are the main cause of kârmic bondage, while non-attachment, or pure thought activity leads to freedom from bondage
RIGHT BELIEF Practical Right Belief is a true and firm belief in Âpta, the all-accomplished, all-knowing source of all knowledge; in the Agama, the Scripture, the written discourse, which first flowed from the omniscient; and in the Tattvas, the principles or categories.
The Apta must have three special characteristics :
(a) Freedom from all defects such as hunger, fear, anger, delusion, (6) Omniscience and (c) Non-volitional propagation of truth. Such are the Arhats, the adorable Lords, of whom the most prominent are the twentyfour Tîrthamkaras.
Agama is the scripture composed by the highly learned and spiritually advanced saints from discourses which flowed from the Arhats. These scriptures are faultless and free from the flaw of inconsistency.
Tattvas, the principle categories or substances are seven : (1) Jiva, soul, (2) Ajîva, non-soul, (3) Ásrava, inflow, (4) Bandha, bondage, (5) Samvara, the check of inflow, (6) Nirjarâ, the shedding of previously bound-up Karmas, and (7) Mokșa, liberation from all Karmic contact.
All that exists is included in one or other of the two principles, soul and non-soul. While a man is alive, it is the soul in his body which perceives
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