ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 492

Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnibenevolence: It has been stated numerous times in this essay that the perfected Jva has infinite knowledge and perception, so the point of the Jain God having omniscience does not require additional attention. It has also been stated that the J va has infinite power, but also that it does not intervene in the world. The important connection here is that the perfected J va has infinite bliss, thus it has no need for any action. AJ va could act, it has the power to act, but it has no need or desire to act.? Any action would represent a need or a want, and a liberated J va has no needs or wants. Further more, any J va that did have a desire to act would necessarily not be a perfected J va, thus it would not have infinite power.
Omnibenevolence is also a tricky one. The argument against the Jain God being omnibenevolent is strong, because even though the Jain God is all powerful, He does not intervene to prevent suffering and evil, but theodicy is an issue for all religions that espouse an all powerful and all good God. But of all such religions, theodicy is the least contentious in Jainism because of the position that infinite bliss rules out any motive for action even though the power for action is there.
Personal: Jains deny the existence of Isvara, a personal God, but they often worship God through an individual person, such as Mah vra. In this way the attribute of a personal God enters into Jain worship. Hemachandra says: "Omniscient, with desires and other faults conquered, honored by the triple world, and explaining the true meaning: He is God, Arhat, the Supreme Lord. 25 Here, "Supreme Lord" was translated from "paramesvara," which is the combination of the words "parama" and "isvara, 26 So here is an example of isvara being used in the scriptures.
Eternal: Each J va has been bound by Karma since beginning-less time, and once liberated, each J va will remain liberated forever in the Siddha-Loka.
Transcendent: the liberated J vas are literally above us, at the top of the Universe in the Siddha-Loka, where they cannot intervene in the world.
Eminent: The potential for God is inside each human.27 Oneness: This can go either way. Each soul does maintain its separateness, but it could be said that the Jain God is comprised of an infinite number of separate entities that all share in the same divine qualities. Just as the monistic schools say that there are infinite manifestations of Brahman. But as said before, none of these individual divine qualities make or break the case for theism.
Application of Gun nuv da The concept of gun nuv da was mentioned before as a central mechanism in Jain worship. But gun nuv da is not specific to Jainism. The worship of qualities with the intent to foster them in the self is common in many secular activities. When I was younger, I wanted to be really good at basketball. Not only would I practice all day, but every night as I fell asleep, and every morning when I woke up, I would gaze at large wall posters of my favorite basketball players in hopes of fostering in myself their qualities. They would inspire me, and increase my resolution to practice more. That is a type of secular gun nuv da.
Kurt Vonnegut had been the Honorary President of the American Humanist Association. When he died last year, there was a certain ubiquitous picture of him that seemed to make it into many obituaries and articles about his life. I associate that picture; Vonnegut's big glossy eyes and soft smile, with humanistic values. Looking at that picture fosters within me humanistic values; it makes me view human life the way he viewed human life; both with awe, and with a grain of salt. That is a type of atheist gun nuv da. If gun nuv da does have its locus in Jainism, than Jainism should be
Tukol, Compendium of Jainism. p. 65 Cort, John. Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001. P. 93 Cited by Ellen Gough, The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Some Jains believe that some souls are abhavya, meaning they are incapable of attaining moksha. See: Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification. p. 140
Page 482 of 556
STUDY NOTES version 4.0