ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 78

(pratimās) for laity leading him ultimately to ascetic life and liberation dovetailing laukika dharma with pārlaukika.
The pārlaukika dharma is called Mokşamarga and consists of right belief-knowledge and conduct practiced together's. The essential and the first requirement of attaining liberation is right belief. It is of two types namely with attachment and without attachment. The first type is characterized by serenity (praśama), incessant fear of the miseries of transgression (samvega), compassion (anukampā) and existence of soul (āstikya) etc. Right belief has eight limbs. **
+ Dvau hi dharamau grhasthānām, laukikah, pārlaikikah! Lokaśrayo bhavedadyah parah syadagamasrayah, (Upasakadhyaayana of Yasastilakācampu, kalpa 34 verse 476, Mukund Lad Somadevsuri and the question of Jain identity)
++ Limbs of right belief:
⚫
Relating to individual's improvement:
State of doubtlessness (Ni amkita); State of no desire (except for creative or spiritual attainments) Nik mksita; Freedom from superstitions (Amudhadṛsti); Develops virtuous dispositions (Upag hana). Relating to his social interactions:
Not to hate a meritorious being (Nirvicikits );Develop positive condition of loving others (V tsalya); To re-establish the fallen on the right path (Sthitikarana); to propagate ethical-spiritual values (Prabh van)
So a right believer of Jain metaphysics will demonstrate the above characteristics in his personal and social interactions. The social characteristics are very important as they reflect how Jains interact with the society they live even though the doctrine suggests that one is responsible for his condition and emphasize self improvement.
The story of the two sons of first Jain tirthankara Adinath, namely Bharat, the monarch and Bahubali, the ascetic is an excellent example to show the practice and impact of both laukika (worldly) and pārlaukika (other worldly or beyond the world). Bahubali, the ascetic achieves liberation faster while Bharat, the emperor also achieves liberation but at a much later date while practicing his monarch-hood keeping the pārluakika dharma always in his mind and actions.
All t rtha karas organized their followers in a fourfold congregation, namely ascetics (rama as) male and female and laity (r vakas) male and female. The ascetics are required to follow p rlaukika dharma and guide the laity while the laity follows laukika dharma primarily but keep on progressing towards ascetic life ultimately.
There is a difference between the śramaņa's path and the śrāvaka's. The śramaņa's path is the path of nivṛtti, of withdrawal from the world, of giving up. He is directly on the path of liberation. Yet there is a place for virtuous śrāvaka, even if his path is more circuitous. He follows the dharma of pravṛtti, or doing or action or engagement with the affairs of the world. This fits in well with the Jain notion of aņuvratas which are the diluted versions of mahāvratas for the muni. His path, too, if he follows the Jain doctrine /samaya faithfully, would ultimately lead him to liberation. This is also supported by the Anekanta doctrine of Jains which talks of looking at the reality from many view points and at least from the two viewpoints namely transcendental (eternal view or niscaya) and practical (present / practical or vyavahāra) views. The karma doctrine of Jains is also an important contributor to the Jain identity as it imposes on Jains the doctrine of work /effort to achieve their laukika and pārlaukika objectives rather than pray for some divine grace for everything and hold the destiny and divine grace as responsible for all their successes and failures.
From the discussions above, we can say that the Jain identity even though lays greater emphasis on spiritual mysticism and its path of spiritual purification based on the practice of non violence, non possessions etc completely till liberation is achieved; yet the social interactions of the laity are also derived from the same also. The path to liberation is said to be right belief-knowledge-conduct practiced together till all karmika bondages are annihilated from the defiled soul. This emphasis at times may lead to a separate identity of being Jain and a feeling of superiority (or purer as their souls are less defiled by karmika impurities) over non-Jains. Translated into practical implications we can say practice of ahinsă (like straining the water before use for drinking, not eating at night etc as primary Jain differentiators), aparigraha (possessiveness on the one hand and the feeling of donating /dāna or giving up and limiting consumption on the other) anekānta (existence of opposites, tolerance, co-existence etc) can be the core differentiators of Jain identity. As we have seen earlier the social
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