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Moreover, the concept of spiritual freedom is defined as total empting of the active life that can be obtained by radically non-violent way of living. The extreme emphasis on extreme non-violence and on inactive life is theoretically in contradiction with any secular idea of freedom that involves freedom to do something along with freedom from something, and also with any possibility of political freedom that embeds a partial coercion if not complete.
Although these conceptual difficulties are there in chalking out any socio-political concept of freedom in Jaina theoretical framework, there is one major reason to find out the threads of such notions, and the reason comes from the history of India. During the medieval period, there were a number of kingdoms that patronized Jaina religion and there were few kings who adopted Jainism. This is an attempt to find out those thought- constructions of individual and state freedom of Jainism that might have attracted these rulers, who were technically the Śrāvakas, the householders, and also to see the relation between such freedom and violence - which is inevitable aspect of state and which is the first and foremost taboo in the Jaina tradition.
Jain Concept of Freedom
As a Śramanic tradition, Jainism rejects a socio-centric or any other type of secular view in which the society and the state stand as the externally available saviors of man. According to it human happiness is determined by a transcendent cause, i. e. the past karmas of the individual. Each individual is subject to his own separate destiny.
As a philosophy, Jainism stands on the four pillars; viz Atmavāda, Lokavāda, Karmavāda and Kriyāvāda. Soul by itself is imperceptible, it is perceived only through the medium of body. The word is also an ultimate Reality just as the soul is. The whole system of karma, in its turn is governed by kriya-action. The fundamental cause of diversities, changes in the world is action. So long as there are vibrations, disturbances in soul, it will result in continuous transmigrations. Cultivating discipline in our bahaviour towards other souls and material substances is the fundamental basis of non-violence.
The Jain conception of freedom is thus, that of the autonomy of the spiritual will which is characterized by selflessness, tranquility, steadfastness and energy, in the face of temptations posed by egoistic impulses and external objects. In other words, freedom can only be gained by a moral discipline, that too by following the praxis of non-violence in a
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