ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 16

immobile i.e. living beings which cannot move on their own, and trasa / mobile i.e. living beings, which can move as per their objectives. Ajīva are subdivided as matter (pudgala), the only concrete substance; dharma/ principle of motion; adharma/ principle of rest; ākāśa /space and kāla / time that are supportive and non-concrete. Jīva and matter are the only active substance types while the other four are supportive and supports actions and interactions of jīva and matter. Empirical souls and matter interact with each other. These interactions and the state of empirical soul are called seven verities/tattvas. The first two are jīva and matter, which are the main actors; the next two i.e. influx and bondage show the interactions between them and called engagement (pravrtti) for merit /pleasure and demerit/pain. Jains talk of moral ethics to minimize demerit and maximize merit during this engagement. Causes for this engagement are considering others as self resulting in delusion, inadvertence, laziness, passions and activities of mind/body and speech. The next two i.e. stoppage of engagement and dissociation (nivrtti) of soul from matter are the states of detachment and spiritual purification to attain the last stage called mokşa/ liberation of the soul i.e. total dissociation of matter from the soul. Pure soul is with infinite intuition, knowledge, bliss and energy while empirical soul has only traces of these due to karmic veil on it. Similarly there are other totally opposite characteristics of the two concerning size, shape, movement etc. Doctrine of karma is perhaps one of the most important contributions of Jain. All our acts and events in life are based on a cause-effect relation i.e. as you sow so shall you reap. Karmas, subtle matter particles, are like the seeds of our activities to yield result at appropriate time. Their bondage is the cause of saṁsāra and the empirical soul is called pure soul when it frees itself from karmic bondage. The holy Jain texts provide extremely detailed analysis of causes of bondages, types and nature, duration and path to destroy bondage of karmas with soul.
The four cardinal principles of Jain way of life are:
1. Ahimsā or non violence in conduct 2. Aparigraha or Non-possession in life and society 3. Anekānta or multiplicity of viewpoints in thoughts 4. Syādvāda or Conditional dialectic in speech.
The entire moral and spiritual ethical postulates of Jain are based on non violence. Non violence is the supreme spiritual virtue and Live and help live are its hallmark. Acārānga
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