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Atma-Siddhi
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and knowledge as its manifestations. In pure state, soul is both janana (perfect knowledge) and darshana (perfect intuition) and is eternally situated in own enlightenment and bliss. In the contaminated state, however, soul is under the influence of multitudes of illusions, passions, and desires caused by wrong beliefs, wrong knowledge, and wrong conduct that bind soul with karmic matter. Soul inherently is free to do or not do karmas, but covered with karmic matter and under the influence of illusions, passions, and desires is prompted to do karmas and enjoys or suffers the fruits of the karmas. Thus the doing of karmas is optional for soul, but experiencing the fruits of karmas is compulsory. Only liberated souls or Siddhas are free from the fruits of karmas, as in their case the undertaken karmas lose delusional potency and become nonbinding. Through the karmas soul literally gets wrapped with karmic matter and transmigrates from one birth to another until finally liberated. Liberation occurs when soul is able to shed all karmic matter by following Jain principles, virtues, and austerities and regains its original pure state. Soulliberation is self-realization. Core Jain principles are right perception, right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct and five basic Jain virtues are ahimsa, truth, non-stealing, chastity, and non-attachment. Ahimsa is to be practiced at the thought, word, and deed levels and this concept also includes the concept of karuna or all-inclusive mercifulness toward all and the concept of kshama or unconditional forgiveness. Austerities are fasting, showing reverence to superiors, rigid control of senses, speech, and intellect, confession of faults, and goodwill towards all. Ideal is of enlightened self-interest, freedom from emotions and passions, freedom from dependencies on others, being neither pleased nor annoyed with life circumstances, being without desires, being without worldly possessions, and voluntary rejection of pleasures. Selfdiscipline, self-pursuit, self-absorption, and self-enlightenment are part of these principles, the following of which is to be incremental and continuous until perfection is achieved.' The road to liberation is lonely and only outside help
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