Essence of Jainism

Author(s): Sukhlal Sanghavi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 31

Initial background
Perspective of Religion and Its Sablimation
Sublimation means purification and expansion. With purifica. tion and the process of purification, the perspective of religion expands, i.e, it does not remain just individualistic; its community. form is created. This is to be known as sublimation.
Both, the will to live or interest in life and a perspective of religion are inborn and harmonious in every being. Interest in life is not satisfied in the absonce of perspective of religion and its existence is possible only if there is interest in life. But the matter is different in case of human beings from that in the world of other living beings. In the world of animals and birds
of ants and becs. the beings are observed to live and be active, not just for their physical existence; they have something or other to do in the interest of their respective small or big group and class. From one point of view this is their conduct of religion. But the fact is that, at the root of this conduct of religion, there lies a tradition, an ingrained group-instinct. The element of understanding and discrimination has not developed with it, it is not possible to be so. This conduct of religion cannot therefore be placed in the category of Perspective of religion.
It is only in human beings that the seeds of perspective of religion lie inherently. The dominant seeds here are knowledge and will to it, the power of decision-making and the capacity to discriminate between good and bad, the effort to be put in to bring to fruition his aims. Human beings are endowed with a unique memory of the past. No other being is endowed with the art of preserving the heritage of the past and giving to the new generation the heritage of the generations that have preceded, with due expansion. Once that man takes a decision to do something, he attains to it, ho even revises and improves upon his decisions when he finds that they are faulty. His will to effort has no end whatsoever. He is ever in search of and works oo in new fields. This capacity of human beings is precisely his perspective of religion.
Still however, this basis of development of perspective of religion that is visible in human life has not been acquired all of a sudden. History is a witness to this. A scholar, Edward Caird