ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 329

states of bondage and purification of soul, also say that the changes in body features (nama karma) like joints becoming stronger, enhanced endurance power as well as the physical impurities getting reduced etc etc occur in the practitioner. This spiritual purification process inn Jainism aims primarily to stoppage of additional karmika impurities (called sa vara) and dissociation of associated karmika bondage with the soul (called nirjar ).
Influx of karmas is due to activities of mind body and speech; and passions (anger, greed, pride and deceit). For stoppage of additional bondage of karmas, Jain code of conduct lays down:
1. Three guptis or restraints namely of mind, body and speech. 2. Five samitis or attitudes of carefulness in daily life. 3. Ten fold moral/religious virtues 4. Contemplation of the twelve fold nature of objects 5. Twenty tow endurances of afflictions 6. Five vows like non violence etc. There are also five enhancing vows called silas.
Observance of the above code of conduct enables the practitioner to be careful and focus on his pursuit for truth and avoid further accumulation of impurities to his soul.
To make further progress i.e. dissociate the existing karmas with the soul, Jain code of conduct talks of twelvefold tapa (austerities) grouped under two main categories as follows: Internal: Fasting, eating less than needed, limiting the types of food intake, giving up eating delicious
and stimulating foods, selection of a lonely place for habitation, and body postures. These
austerities enhance the endurance capabilities of the body to let us meditate on the self. External: Nine fold expiation (pr ya cita) like confession, repentance etc; fourfold humility, respectful
service of the virtuous; fivefold self study (reading, teaching, enquiry, reflection and preaching); renunciation of non self and lastly meditation.
Observance of the above vows', as a rule, results in achieving heavenly pleasures with clairvoyance knowledge as well as charismatic body and several extraordinary powers in the present life itself. Many modern day scholars and writers publish books on emotional intelligence, moving ahead in life through better knowledge and conduct; invariably quote one or several of the above codes of conduct. Meditation is often becoming a fad to enhance our intellect and bodily activities. However, as we see above, it alone may not produce the desired results as there are several prerequisite codes /practices to be followed and then meditation becomes a very potent tool to enhance knowledge capabilities also.
Clairvoyance and telepathy can also result from practising the above code of conduct but to a limited extent. In Jain texts, clairvoyance is of use in worldly pursuits and can be wrong or right depending on its application while telepathy can accrue only when the practitioner moves to higher levels of code of conduct and is always for better purposes and hence is right only.
4.0 Analysis From the above discussions we find: • Jainism supports the doctrine of enhancement of knowledge capabilities of an individual along with the level
of spiritual purification attained. A practitioner of spiritual purification is required to develop detachment from the worldly association and thus attains perhaps a state of lasting happiness i.e. without the need for better food, shelter etc. A materialist on the other hand enhances his knowledge of the world, its constituents primarily i.e. research in matter to use it for the benefit of our worldly needs like satisfying our basic needs of food, clothes, shelter, security, health etc. He feels happy in discovering new material properties and ways to attain them; their application etc and relegates his consciousness as secondary.
Thus the two appear different i.e. spiritualist looking for inner happiness and enhancing his all knowing capability while the materialist looks for better understanding of the cosmos, its constituents, their purification and application of their properties to provide material comforts (sensual pleasures /related happiness) to self and others. It may be of interest to look at the source i.e. consciousness which manifests as knowledge. In both cases, it is the same. However in spiritualism, the method aims at purifying consciousness from the impurities obstructing its better manifestation capabilities (labdhi) so as to have crisp. fuller and instantaneous grasp of reality e.g. removing the curtains from a window to let sunshine enter the room and make it bright and visible clearly. In terms of matter it is like purifying gold after its extraction from the mines by removing the associated rock formations and then heating it to removing other associated impurities till it attains lustre at 22 or higher carat of purities. It is of interest to analyze how the our great
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0