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VII. THE JAINA AND THE WESTERN TYPES OF ETHICAL DOCTRINES 259
ment. Exclusive egoism is suicidal, but spiritual egoism exemplified in the life of Ācāryas and Arahantas is compatible with social goodness. The Cynics could not bring forth the concept of social Aparigraha but went to the other extreme of mere individual Aparigraha and thus destroyed the social foundation and imperilled social living. The Aņuvratas prescribed for the layman strike a balance between asceticism and sensualism, and between absolute independence and complete dependence. The life of Mahāvratas, though individualistic in trend, is not incompatible with social goodness. The Cyrenaics moved in the direction of egoistic hedonism which is totally unacceptable to the Jaina. Egoistic hedonism does not go beyond bodily consciousness, it tends towards narrow selfishness and looks upon with contempt the philanthrophists sacrificing their lives for social good. "Crude hedonism contains within itself the germ of pessimism: the attainment of a preponderance of pleasure over pain seems impossible, and the exclusive pursuit of pleasures leads to boredom and frustration."1 The most common argument that may be advanced against egoistic hedonism is that we desire objects and not pleasure; pleasurable state is simply an accompaniment. That is why Jainism has laid stress on the pursuance of noble ends so that lasting pleasures may displace transitory ones.
· PLATO AND ARISTOTLE: As advocated by Plato, the transcendental world of ideas constitutes reality, and reason is the most characteristic aspect of the soul. The empirical objects of the world are but fleeting shadows of the enduring and immutable ideas, and consequently like the objects, the body and the senses are foreign to the soul's innate nature. The true life of the individual, therefore, consists in the freedom of the soul from the body and in contemplating the world of ideas. The veritable end of life finds expression in bringing into clear consciousness the latent memories of the past when the soul possessed the knowledge of the ideas. “The true art of living is really an "art of dying" as far as possible to mere sense, in order more fully to exist in intimate union with absolute goodness and beauty.”2 “This ascetic tendency of the Platonic philosophy culminates in mysticism."3 We are confronted with another view of the ethical ideal which emerged on account of the ascription of some value to the world of sense by virtue of the fact that the objects of the world
1 History of Philosophy, p. 72. 3 History of Philosophy, p. 91.
2 Outlines of the History of Ethics, p. 41.
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