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THE ESSENCE OF JAINA SCRIPTURES
The recognition of the necessity and importance of the value of external moral discipline ensures that Jainism does not become what Johnson calls a "private soteriology". 169 Kundakunda, Paul Dundas remarks, represents a "middle point between two main historic propensities within Jainism: excessive formalization and ritualisation of behavior which diminish the spiritual dimensions of the path and excessive interiorisation of values", 170 which denies the need for external moral conduct (vyavahara charitra) in relation to others.
Nishchaya and Vyavahara Charitra (Conduct)
This remark of Paul Dundas is very relevant in the discussion of conduct, especially nishchaya and vyavahara charitra (conduct). There are numerous persons who one-sidedly cling to only external, otherreferential vyavahara charitra. As a result, they diminish the internal, spiritual dimension of the path of liberation. There are others, particularly Kanjipanthi, who exclusively depend on excessive interiorisation and deny the validity and relevance of vyavahara charitra altogether under the guise of internal, self-referential nishchaya charitra of their own thinking (which is not the same as nishchaya charitra of repentance (pratikraman), etc. described in Niyamsara).
Thus, H.C. Bharill adheres to the mistaken assertion of his preceptor (guru, whom Bharill describes with respect as gurudeva, i.e. preceptor-God), viz. Kanji Svami, that "conduct is only of one kind alone, and that is of the nature of non-attachment, i.e. completely devoid of attachment (veetraga bhavarupa); charitra with attachment is not conduct at all; he who respects it, accedes to it or believes in it is a deluded person (mithyadrashti)". Bharill adds: “Nishchaya (point of view) charitra is the term used only for the non-attached mental state; in reality vyavahara charitra, which has [some degree of] attachment, is not conduct at all, it is only the fault of conduct."171
In this regard, Bharill refers to the introductory remark of Amrtachandra to Pravachanasara verse 6, to the effect that conduct without attachment has desirable result (ishta phala) and therefore, is worth-acquiring (upadeya), while conduct with attachment has undesirable result (anishta phala) and hence to be avoided (beya). This remark in fact points out that as compared to the conduct with attachment or vyavahara charitra, the conduct free of attachment (veetraga charitra), which is the direct and immediate cause of
