ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 170

spiritual significance, the ritualists denounce the path of knowledge as they hold that only practicing rituals alone is sufficient. This is so because the traditional Jainism holds that ones the knowledge obscuring karmas are shed off through the 12 forms of nirjara one does not feel the need to aspire for Samyag jň na of which rmad was critical.
He therefore says that "Samyag dar ana is necessary to attain samyag jn na". Therefore according to him any action and mere knowledge devoid of samyag dar ana is not worthy to follow. Mere external kriyas or dry intellectualism, both of them lead to the development egoistic attitude. Therefore in terms of rmad both self-effort and intellectual understanding are insufficient for the self-realization.
2.2 His Views In the order of Panca Parmesthi, Arihanta and Siddha are the supreme and those who have attained liberation. Therefore the aim of the s dhus, up dhyayas and c ryas is to attain the supreme state. Even though they may have highest of the scriptural knowledge, they may be less self - enlightened. They are in the four-fold samgha, the part of organized institutional religion. Even though they guide people through their discourses, rmad has seen the lacuna in such a way of guidance. Since they are ordained in a particular institution they have to follow the set of prescribed rules. They solely follow the external rituals mentioned in the agamas. The time required for s dhan is wasted in mere performance of external rituals. They cannot guide people properly about the spiritual development due to their inability to grasp the spiritual level of the people. rmad therefore stresses the need of a sadguru or satpurusa to whom an individual can completely devote. The sadguru is a real selfenlightened person who is far away from external rituals, passions, completely engrossed in self. At no moment he is away from the self. Such a satpuruşa can hence guide the person rightly on the spiritual ladder.
He laid very much importance on Sadguru. According to him the teacher who is sanctimonious and enlightened and has self-experience is like God himself and devotion to him is devotion to God. Hence the individual who has found such a teacher should totally surrender to him and obey all his commands. The study of scriptures also should be done under the guidance of such a teacher otherwise a person is likely to be misguided.
An aspirant who aims at attaining liberation has to follow right knowledge, faith and conduct. He says that spiritual knowledge consists in realizing with the help of the preaching of pious teacher, (a) that soul is different from body (b) that it has the inherent quality of knowledge and (c) that it is indestructible. Here what he tries to clarify is that in the process of acquiring right knowledge a teacher plays an important and significant role.
In his book Moksa Mala he has stressed on the importance of satpurusa and his satsanga. He explains that good company helps the person to be free from passions etc. and helps to lead him to the path of self-realization. He seems to be right in saying that only an experienced person can be forceful in giving explanation to us, which are right. Here he was really right in asking people to follow right teacher. Then only his discourse affects the person and makes him stable in his thoughts. He also stresses on meditation. He himself would go away in secluded place and meditate.
According to him meditation is the best means for spiritual progress and realization. The aim and object of realization is to know our self. He says that an aspirant should have a dialogue with the sadguru. Then after having got the doubts cleared he should go to a place where there is no disturbance, contemplate on the real nature of the self and thus know the true spirit in one's own self. When one's knowledge is purified it is nothing but Kevala jn na. This knowledge according to him is not the knowledge of the substances but the purified knowledge of the self.
r mad's teachings were full of devotion. It means that a person true to his teacher is fully devotional to him and devotion to teacher is devotion to God because only a pious teacher can impart the true teaching of trtha karas and the Scriptures. This devotion, which his teachings express, is the devotion to a living person.
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0