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VI. MYSTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF JAINA ETHICS
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negation and misery which is called the Dark-night.". The dark-night experienced by the Kṣāyika-Samyagdrsti is not so intense as it is experienced by the Dvitīyopaśama Samyagdęsti, inasmuch as the latter may fall to the first Gunasthāna in contradistinction to the former who cannot go beyond the fourth one. Those who are great contemplatives emerge from this period of destitution, but those less heroic succumb to its dangers and pains. It may be noted here that not all the mystics experience this dark-night. Those of them who ascend the ladder of annihilation escape this tragic period, and forthwith succeed in materialising the final accomplishments, in relishing the fruits of transcendental life in comparison with those who ascend the ladder of subsidence. Mystics of the latter type no doubt will also reach the same heights, but they do so only when they climb up the ladder of annihilation either in this life or in some other to come. As a matter of fact, the soul which has once attained spiritual conversion is entitled to be the inhabitant of the holy world. The question is only of time and not of certitude. To sum up, some souls are confronted with darkness of three types in their life: first, before conversion, secondly, after conversion, thirdly, after the ascension of the ladder of subsidence. In the first, though the self is overwhelmed by utter darkness, he is not aware of it; in the second, the fall from spiritual conversion is not consciously recognised; in the third, the self, having touched the sublime heights, falls to the ground; hence the invasion of darkness is naturally most perturbing and painful.
6) TRANSCENDENTAL LIFE, OR (A) SAYOGAKEVALĪ, (B) AYOGAKEVALI GUNASTHANAS: The slumbering and the unawakened soul, after passing through the stages of spiritual conversion, moral and intellectual preparation, now arrives at the sublime destination by dint of ascending the rungs of meditational ladder. The dormant self who is prone to the renouncement and choice of external things, and who, when awakened, is occupied with the rejection of inner evil desires and the acceptance of auspicious psychical states, now by virtue of his metamorphosis into transcendental self neither abandons nor adopts anything, but rests in eternal peace and tranquillity. The self which was swayed by perversion, non-abstinence, spiritual inertia, and the samjvalana types of passion and quasi-passions refuses now to be deflected by them; and possesses the dispassionate vocal and physical activities (yogas) which cannot
1 Mysticism. p. 382.
2 Samādhi. 47,
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