Book Title: Gandhi And Jainism
Author(s): Shugan C Jain
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

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Page 317
________________ Q.17.0 Can anyone remember his past lives or has an idea of his future lives? A.17.0 Yes, this is quite possible. One whose knowledge has become pure may be able to do so. We can infer the possibility of rain from certain signs in the clouds: similarly, from the actions of a soul in this life, we can understand, perhaps partially, their causes in its previous existence. We can also judge from the nature of the actions what results they are likely to have. On further reflection, we can also know what kind of a future existence the soul is likely to have or what kind of a past existence it had. The more minutely we go into the details of life, the more vivid picture of future and previous births would come to light. Q.18.0 If yes, who can? A.18.0 So far this question is concerned; the answer to this is contained in the reply above. Q.19.0 You have given the names of some who have attained Mokşa. What is the authority for this statement? A.19.0 If you have addressed this question personally to me, I would like to answer this way: "A man who has risen above his mundane state develops in him such a divine life that his very words, looks, and presence inspire in others the same sort of feelings of peace, bliss, and excellence as felt by him.” By this it is natural to infer that he has attained Mokşa. Besides my own experiences, in most cases, we can also get from Šāstras reasons in support of our conclusion. Q.20.0 What makes you say that even Buddha did not attain Mokşa? (This question is not given in Satish Sharma's book "Gandhi's Teachers: Rajchandra Ravjibhai Mehta”) A.20.0 On the basis of the teachings in Buddhist scriptures. If his views were the same as these, then they seem to have been Pg.294 Gandhi & Jainism

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