Ethical Doctrines in Jainism

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur

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II. METAPHYSICAL BASIS OF JAINA ETHICS
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existence. The Vyavahāra Naya of the Jainas simply points to our slumbering state in the domain of spiritualism, and does not in the least touch the existential aspects of things. The Niscaya or Paramārtha Naya simply serves to awaken the slumbering soul to attain its spiritual heritage. It does not pretend to annual the external things by mere spiritual outlook.
SVASAMAYA AS THE TRANSCENDENT OBJECTIVE: Fourthly, there is witnessed a different expression of the Summum Bonum. 'Svasamaya' is the sublime ideal to be aimed at; it is the transcendent objective to be achieved. That self which is absorbed in the mundane modifications referring to the four kinds of transmigratory existence, and which does not believe that the substance is self-evident and self-existent is 'Parasamaya'; and that which is self-established is 'Svasamaya'.1 The interminable stay of the self in Darsana (Intuition), Jñāna (Knowledge), and Caritra (Conduct) also explains the implication of the term Svasamaya, which may be discriminated from Para-samaya wherein the self identifies itself with the body and the foreign psychical states of attachment and aversion and the like?. In other words, Sva-samaya is the non-conceptual state of existence, the state in which all differentiations caused by the infinite characteristics disappear. It is the Advaita state of existence. The Tattvānusāsana elucidates advaita by pointing out that the recognition of the soul as associated with something other is duality; while non-duality is realised by those who see their own self quite unattached to anything whatsoever. But this Advaita of Jainism should be trenchantly distinguished from the Advaita of Vedānta, wherein everything disappears except the Brahman. The contention of the Jaina is that the existence of other substances is incapable of counteracting the mystical experience of the self; only the self must not experience conceptual duality or the plurality of infinite characteristics inherent in it. The self submerges in itself after transcending all conceptual differences of infinite attributes in the domain of the spirit. It is an experiential, intuitive, mystical state; and so escapes and eludes our conceptual discussions. Thus Jainism has arrived at the conception of Advaita, though not of the Vedāntic type, by proceeding from a different side and acknowledging a different conception of reality.
SUDDHA UPAYOGA AS THE GOAL: Fifthly, the attainment of Suddho· payoga is the goal of human pursuance. Therein the self synchronically
1 Prava. II. 2, 6: 2 Samaya. 2. 3Tattvānušāsana, 177.