ISJS Transactions 2018 07 To 09 Vol 02 No 03

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

Page 30

One of the great scriptures in Jain tradition, uttarādhyayana sūtra defines samyaktva as belief in nine fundamental truths. Ācārya Kundakunda in his darśana-pāhuda, defines samyakdarśana as a firm belief in the six substances and nine fundamental truths. He expresses the same principle in different words (ways) in mokṣa pāhuda by defining samyak-darśana as belief in the dharma devoid of violence, in pure deity devoid of 18 faults and in the way of life, preached by the omniscient. In Niyamasāra, samyak-darsana is explained as a belief in liberated souls, Jain scriptures and principles. In Ratnakaranda Srāvakācāra, Acārya Samantabhadra defines samyak-darśana as a belief in true deities, true scriptures and true teachers (deva, śāstra and guru).' He also preaches the eight essentials of right faith and the necessity of freedom from eight types of pride for a right believer. Upādhyāya Yasovijaya says that he, who is attached with the body, is not samyak-drsti, and who firmly believes that I am a soul, devoid of body, modifications and karma is samyak-drsti." The Bhagavad Gitā says that a person having a right faith in mokṣa märga (path of liberation) attains knowledge."
Process and importance of Samyak-darsana
Tīrthankaras have given great explanations on the ladder of spiritual progress. This ladder is mainly divided into fourteen stages (called gunasthānas). The stage of deluded believer (mithyādisti) is at the first gunasthāna. At this stage, if the seeker has unswerving faith on the preaching of the guru (Enlightened Master), deva (the lord) and the śāstra (scriptures), and if one continues to follow preaching of the Enlightened Master, one can get glimpses of true nature of the soul. Though the faith in deva, Guru and Sāstra is not absolute samyak-darśana (niscayasamyak-darśana), but it makes the base for niscayasamyak-darśana to manifest; that's why it's also called a relative samyak-darśana (vyavahārasamyak-darśana). Such a soul will set aside all his religious and other prejudices and will follow sincerely and completely his Guru's preachings and teachings. As a result he himself realizes the nature of pure self. This is called niscayasamyak-darśana or correct world view and after this experience one moves to fourth gunasthāna.
The Three Jewels 23
Ācārya Bhadrabāhu reveals the fact that the amount of karma destroyed by a mithya-drsti muni in 1 crore lives are less than amount of karma sheds by samyak-drsti soul in one breath." Pandit Daulatram explains the same philosophy and further adds that we all have been ascetics (munis) in our previous lives and also went to the 9th heaven (graivaka) and lived for a period of many sāgaropams (very long time as per Jain tradition). But we couldn't experience the true happiness as we weren't samyak-drsti.
When a light of right belief and right knowledge (samyak-darśana and samyak-jñāna) dawns in the soul, that soul becomes samyak-drsti. One who has experienced the soul, has tremendous value of inner world, so at the same time, the valuation of outer world diminishes. For a samyak-drsti, outer world is an illusion or like a dream."
Ācārya Haribhadra Sūri explains this exalted state by defining that samyak-drsti finds this world as an imaginary or fake city created by Indra (King of all deities). Samyak-drsti keeps only one direction open; inward, and with great efforts (puruşārtha) of inward journey,