Essence of Jainism

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

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Essence of Jainism
Caritravidyā
The place of conduct-Caritra in spiritual evolution can be knowo only after we know the nature of Ātmā and Karma. According to the thinkers on liberation, the purpose of this conduct is only to free the Atmā from Karma. Even after assuming the freedom of Atmā through conduct, one question remains to be answered. If Ātmā is inherently pure, when and why did Karma get related to Ātma for the first ime? Who brought about this relation ? In a similar way, one more question arises. If it is assumed that Karma gets, some way or other, to Atma that is pure by nature, is it not possible that once more the relation may arise even after freedom is attained to through conduct ? All spiritual thinkers give more or less the same reply to these two questions. Like the philosophies Sāṁkhya-Yoga or Vedānta, Nyāya-Vaigesika or Bauddha, the Jain philosophy also believes that the relation between Karma and Atmā has no beginning because the first move. ment of that relation is totally out of the limit of knowledge. All philosophics have assumed that the relation of Karma. Avidyā or Mayā with Ātma is beginningless as a flow; still, individually it has a beginning. This is so because of the experience of all of us that the desire for Karma arises in the Jiva through ignorance. attachment and jealousy. Once that the Karma is abandoned out. right, the perfect aod puro forma of ihe Ātma is revealed. Spiritual philosophers give this explanation as to why Karma and desire are not reborn in it. By its very nature, ātmā sides with purity. Through Cérand-life-force and other inherent qualities that have fully developed, the faults like ignorance, attachment, jealousy etc., are destroyed from their very roots. This means that these faults got totally weakened in finding their place in the Āimatattva that is purified with extreme effort.
The function of conduct is to remove the causes of disparity in life. This is known as Savara in the Jain terminology. Ignorance, the basic cause of disparity is made possible by the true 'realization of Atmā, the faults like attachmen: are removed by the attainment to Madhyasthya-a state of neutrality. That is the reason why only two things are included in inner conduct-(i) know.