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Jaina Philosophy
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the Atmă are described, seven being of absence of knowledge and Seven of knowledge. These fourtees stages are briefly classified in the Sankhya and Yoga philosophies as five stages of consciousnessCitia-restless: Kșipta; torpid - Mūdha; distracted - Vikşipta; concentrated-Ekagra and restricted-Niruddha. In the Buddhist Philoso. phy also this same order of spiritual development is classified into six stages as Pộthag jana, Sotāpanna etc. We can thus see that there is a unanimity and the same thought-process in all the Indian systems of philosophy in matters of the state of the Jiva beginning from mundane existence to liberation, the order of evolution and its causes. Here one question arises. If there is this basic unity in the tbloking of all these philosophies, why do we find difference between one cult and aoother that cannot be stitched ?
The answer to this is clear. The difference of cults is due to two things - difference in philosophy and difference in external thought and conduct. There are some cults in whicn. besides the difference in conduct and thought, there is some difference in the thought-process of their philosophies. Here, the illustrations of Vedānta, Bauddha and Jain cults can be given. There are again certain cults and sects whose thought-process of philosophy is not different; their difference is nourished by and arises from different external conduct - to illustrate, the three branches Svetämbara, Digambara and Sthānakvāsi in the Jains.
Some may take Ātmā to be one, others many; some may believe in iśvara, others may not believe. This difference in philosophic thinking is an account of the bigher and lower experiences of the intellect and this is inevitable. Similarly, the differences in external conduct and rules arise from difference in intellect, liking as also circumstances. Some might have faith in acquiring boliness through bath in the Ganges or the darśana of Visvanātha at Kāší; some might experience fulfilment in a pilgrimage to Buddhagaya and Sārapatha and the darśana of Lord Buddha, some might experience success by embracing Satrunjaya and some might experience bliss by a pilgrimage to Mecca and Jerusalem. Io a similar mapper, some might feel that the austerity and fast of the
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