ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 43

1.1.b
Teachings of M hav ra
Dr. Shugan Chand Jain
1.0 Preamble: M hav ra (599 - 527 BCE) is the latest and 24h Tirthankara of Jains. He was born in Distt Vaishali in the present state of Bihar India. His parents were the followers of P r va, the 23rd t rtha kara of Jains who attained emancipation some 250 years earlier. The current religion and philosophy of Jains is based on M hav ra's sermons, teachings and the way he lived His life. It is important to understand the state of affairs in India and abroad during his lifetime so that we can appreciate his teachings better.
He was born in the ruler caste (ksatriya) to the chief of the Distt Vaishal in Bihari, a prosperous district run by democratically elected rulers. There were more than 350 different philosophical preachers at that time in India alone'. Animal sacrifice (bali) and yajñas (long strenuous worship of God, with sacrifices of animals and even human beings) to achieve worldly comforts were the popular rituals. Socially: slavery and trading of women, excessive accumulation and consumption of wealth by few, use of corporeal and other types of punishments to rectify the ill behaviors of people and casteism were widely practiced.
Internationally, it was approximately the period when Lao-Tse and Confucius in China, Buddha in India, Zarastru in Persia, Pythagoras and later Pluto and Aristotle in Greece were preaching their doctrines and philosophies as well. According to Jains, M havra was born almost at the end of the 4 time period of the present epoch and lived just up to the beginning of 5h time period of increasing pains and decreasing happiness.
2.0 Doctrines of M hav ra Who am I? From where have I come? And where shall I go after death? These are the questions we keep on asking ourselves. M havra experimented in his life to find the right answers to these questions and after strenuous penance of 12.5 years; he found the answers and started preaching the same for the good of mankind. Thus His teachings emphasize study of the self and then to improve its status to that of supreme or pure self and enjoy its nature of eternal bliss and infinite knowledge. Even though his teachings are for spiritual beneficence, yet they are equally beneficial to improve our worldly existence as well. Wellknown Jain preceptor of 2nd century AD Samantabhadra, described his doctrine as 'Sarvodaya tirtha or for the enlightment of all living beings'.
His metaphysical doctrine talks of all existents being real and they are accompanied by the trio of orgination-destruction-permanence simultaneopusly. Further the existents are divided in two categories namely living beings (Jva) with consciousness and non living beings (aj va) without consciousness. Living beings are classified in six categories, based on the type of body and number of sense organs they have. Air, water, fire, earth and plantation are having one sense organ namely touch are classified as of stationery class sth vara) and the rest are classified tras or which can move and are with two to five senses organs and mind. (Living being or soul) never dies; it changes body it owns on death i.e. gets new body by shedding the old one depending upon its karmas. Eternal happiness (BLISS) and infinite knowledge is the nature of all living beings. Matter (pudgala) is the main non living being which is conceptual as cognition of the world by us is due to its existence. Time (k la), Spacae (k a), principels of motion and rest are the other non conceptual non living beings.
Loka or cosmos is eternal from time perspective (i.e. was, is and will always be there); it is of limited size and definite shape and surrounded by Aloka or trans-cosmic, has not been created by anyone and cannot be destroyedby anyone but transforms continuously; and is inhabited by all types of beings.
2.1 Non violence, restraint, Self effort / penance or austerity
Dhammo ma galamukkittha ,ahis sa jamo tavo; Dev vi ta nama sa ti, jassa dhamme say ma o.?
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0