Jain Digest 1995 11

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

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JAIN PATH by Jagmohan Humar
ahavir's life and message have inspired countless men and women throughout the ages. Many may question the relevance of Mahavir's philosophy in the modern world. But, if one reflects on the cause of violence, bigotry and intolerance that pervades our society and of the moral decadence and degeneration that is taking hold of our civilization, one soon realizes that Mahavir's message has never been more relevant than in today's world.
In our time, only a few leaders have realized this truth. Perhaps the foremost among them was Gandhi. His was first exposure to Jain religious thought and the Jain path in the year 1891. In June of that year Gandhi returned to India after having spent three years in England. It was at this time that he was introduced to Raichandbhai, also known as Rajchandra, a person who was later to provide Gandhi with spiritual sustenance. Rajchandra, who was of about the same age as Gandhi, was a very successful dealer of gems. He was intellect with a prodigious memory. In fact, he was reputed to be a shatavadhani, that is, someone who could attend to a hundred things at the same time.
As Gandhi came to know Raichandbhai, he discovered many of the other attributes of this unique man. Raichandbhai's sharp intellect, his brilliant mind and the prodigious memory were legendary, but it was his deep spirituality that inspired Gandhi the most. Raichandbhai, himself a Jain, had a profound knowledge of not only the Jain scriptures but also the Vedanta, Gita and the Bhagwat Puran. In addition, he had studied Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Zen. He had a deep rooted respect for all religions. In a letter to Gandhi, Raichandra once wrote, "Jain system of thought does not insist on conformity to any formal religious dogma or creed and only sets forth an ideal, the ideal of Jina, one who conquered the self."
It was the profound wisdom of Raichandbhai that attracted Gandhi to him. On his association with Raichandbhai, Gandhi once wrote: "During my life I have tried to meet the heads of various faiths, but I must say that no one else has ever made an impression on me that Raichandbhai did. In my moments of spiritual crisis, he was my refuge." Jain religious philosophy, its theory of knowledge and the Jain path have all made a profound impression on Gandhi and molded his actions in life.
It is impossible to relate, in this brief presentation, all the aspects of Jain philosophy. However, the path that Jain scriptures offer are of particular interest for the lay seeker.
accordance with the Jain philosophy, the universe is formed of
two constituents, the animate and the inanimate. The animate is comprised of an infinite number of souls. The true nature of soul is that of eternal bliss and beatitude. When the soul is liberated it attains its true nature. If being liberated is being divine, then divinity is inherent in all life forms, irrespective of whether it is animal or human. The goal is to realize the true nature of soul. Jain scriptures present a staged and graded path that one may follow to
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attain such realization. This begins with the code of conduct for a lay seeker and goes on to the more ascetic and rigorous path of a mendicant. Scriptures devoted to the code for a lay seeker or sravaka are called sravakarchar; they describe the path in meticulous detail, from the practical and pragmatic to the philosophical level.
The first rung on the ladder to achieving this goal is the Darshan Pratima. A person who is a Jain by conviction must have an unflinching faith in the true dev, the liberated ones, Shastra, the true scriptures and Guru, the true ascetic teachers. The devotional aspect Darshana Pratima is formalized in the most auspicious mantra of the Jains, the Panch Namaskar Mantra, in which we pay homage to and express adoration for the five Ideal ones.
First are the Arihants, the worthy ones, those who have attained supreme knowledge and self realization. When they leave this body their soul will be liberated.
We recite, Namo Arihantanam
• Second we pay homage to the sidhas. They are the Arihants who have left the bodily existence and have achieved eternal bliss. They are at a higher plane of spiritual evolution, but occupy the second plane behind the Arihants only because the Arihants are a living embodiment of the ideal and therefore easier to relate to and emulate.
We recite, Namo Sidhanam
⚫ The last three in the category of the worshipful ones are the ascetic aspirants, those who have not attained supreme knowledge but are adherents to the path of liberation. The Acharyas are the heads of congregation who guide other members on the path of self discipline. The Upadhyayas are the teacher ascetics who have acquired a deeper knowledge of the scriptures and the Sadhus are the remaining ascetics.
So we recite, Namo Ayariyanam Namo Uvajjbayanam
Namo Loye Savva-sahunuam
It is interesting to note that the object of a Jain's devotion or adoration is not any particular being, not even Mahavir, but an Ideal and all those who have achieved or are striving to achieve the Ideal.
Jains venerate the holy symbol Om, but assign their own interpretation to it. Thus the sound of Om is formed from the first syllables of the five ideal ones; 'a' for Arihant, 'a' for Asharir or the formless one, the Sidha, 'a' for Acharya, 'u' for Upadhyaya, and 'm' for Muni or the Sadhus.
JAIN DIGEST
Sept./Dec. 1995 www.jainelibrary.org