Introduction to Jaina Sadhna

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 42

The Path of Liberation : 35
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Knowledge is impossible without a right view-point or faith and without right knowledge, right conduct is not possible and without right conduct, liberation remains unattainable. Thus all the three are needed for the attainment of emancipation. Right View.point or Right Faith
In Jaina scriptures the word 'darsana' has been used in different senses and scholars of Jainism differ widely on its actual meaning. For some thinkers 'darsana' is prajñā or intuition, as distinct from knowledge which is rational inference. Darsana is also construed as self realisation. In ancient Jaina scriptures the word daṁsana or darsana has been used in the sense of philosophy, an outlook about the ultimate reality, the world and the self. This is called ditthi or drsti. In the Uttarādhyayanasūtra and Tattvārthasūtra, darsana has been used in the sense of faith or belief in Tattvas, i.e. , metaphysical principles. In the later Jaina literature the word darśana stands for devotion to the Tirthankara (deva ), preceptors (guru ) and religion (dharma ). Thus in the Jaina tradition right view-point (samyak-darsana) has a wide connotation ranging from self realisation, intuition, vision, view-point, faith for metaphysical principles to devotion. Whether samyak-darśana is called right ( unbiased ) view-point or faith in metaphysical principles or devotion, theoretically it makes no difference.
The difference lies in the methods of its realisation. A scientist brings out a truth on the basis of his experiments but the common man gets the same truth by taking for granted the statements of that scientist in whose authority he has an unshaken faith, Indeed both of them know the truth; one has attained it through his own realisation, the other through his faith in the authority of the former. Even if devotion to the Tirtharkaras is regarded as samyak-darśana it is not the real samyak-darśana for samyak-darsana is the devotion to our