Jain Digest 2006 07 Vol 24 No 3

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

Page 33

TIME OF LIBERATION
takes a few years after planting the seeds and giving proper usually far from the mind. Such unalloyed and long lasting care to the plant that one can obtain the fruits. That means joy can generally be had only in haven. Therefore, these two trees that are only a year or two old will not bear fruits. time periods may also correspond to a jiva's stay in various Similarly, one can list all other requirements. However, with havens. Similarly, during the last two aras of dukham and the advent of technology, now-a-days mangos are available dukham-dukham, a jiva is full of sorrow and hardship and throughout the year. In future, we may be able to grow mostly dealing with immediate needs. Such extreme mango throughout the year and even in cold climates if, e.g., conditions of prolonged suffering generally exist only in we can build big enough greenhouses. We may, probably, various hells. At that time again, the thoughts of Moksha are be able to build only a few greenhouses big enough to grow far from the mind. When the jiva is going through a life mangoes in cold climates but it would then atleast be where happiness and sorrow come like a wave (the middle possible to do so. We already get mangoes that are grown two aras of sukham-dukham and dukham-sukham, a genin Mexico and other South American countries. It means eral state of jiva in human and tiriyanch life forms), the jiva with proper resources and efforts it is possible to create is beset by conflicting thoughts. He is perplexed by the appropriate conditions to grow mangoes even where those constantly changing circumstances of life and unable to find conditions did not exist previously.
a reason in its immediate environment and actions, starts Therefore, to attain liberation one needs the right kind
wondering about the purpose of life. We explore these
issues when we are unable to explain the circumstances of of conditions, efforts and resources. For this purpose, all
our life by simplistic arguments and immediate events. At the necessary resources exist within one-self; however,
this point, we are forced to distance ourselves a little bit efforts are needed to prepare the conditions and use them in a proper fashion. It is not necessary for a person to wait to
from our circumstance and that is when the questions about
life and death, and reason for such events arise. During a bring about a revolution in his life until the society as a whole
human life, almost every individual goes through these has evolved to a similar level. A person may hasten his own
periods of happiness and sorrow; however, each person evolution by various means such as prayer, worship, charity, fasting, meditation etc. In that case, he can progress
goes through these periods at different times. Even if two faster than the universal time, i.e., the rest of the world, and
persons have exactly the same material conditions, their
mental attitude towards it may be quite different. For arrive at his own liberation at anytime. Whether he is born
example, two persons win a lottery and share the prize in the lara or 6 ara of the external time, by his own effort, he can be in his personal 34 or 4h ara and thus attain
equally. First person is happy that he has won a good sum liberation. It does not depend so much what the universal
of money. However, the other person is unhappy that he did
not win the whole prize and had to share the prize with time is but the qualities that are characteristic of these aras
another person. The same external condition did not prothat make it possible for people to attain liberation. It's not
duce the same effect on two different persons, i.e., they are easy in any period to attain Moksha. The amount of effort
at different personal time even though being at the same needed will depend upon the current state of the jiva. The
external time. Therefore, while the universal time cycle, in necessary qualities by themselves are always present but a
general, is applicable to the entire universe as a whole, a person has to uncover and expand them. For example, the capacity for affection is ever present in all jiva but how and
similar individual cycle applies to each jiva. Again, the
individual cycle may or may not match with the universal where one allows it to be manifested depends on the individual. Even a very cruel person is filled with affection for his own child though he may fail to extend that same
Another question that needs answer is, if liberation feeling to another child. On the other hand, a saint extends were to be attained only in the 3 and 4"hara of the universal his sense of affection to all equally. No quality that is needed time then who sits at the gates of Moksha to prevent the for liberation can be destroyed or created. Perfection and entry of a perfect and completely purified soul in the Purity are intrinsic qualities of a soul. These qualities are siddhaloka? If the passage of time were to be so absolute and only temporarily hidden untilajiva is ready to uncover them if the Moksha can be attained only during the 3rd and 4 ara, either by the process of natural evolution or by its concerted then there has to be some entity which keeps track of the efforts. Even in 3rd and 4th ara not everyone attained passage of time and allows a soul to enter Moksha during liberation because even though the conditions were right, that period only and keeps the gates closed at all other times not all of them put the necessary efforts or had the even if a qualified soul reaches its gates. If it is by design that opportunity to do so due to being at various stages in their one can attain Moksha only during a certain period of eternal journey.
universal time, then there has to be a designer who works In this respect, even the names of various aras are
beyond the confines of self-effort, a concept that certainly also very instructive. The first two aras, sukham-sukham
is anathematic to the very principles of Jainism. In Jainism,
we believe that liberation is attained purely by self-effort; and sukham, are period of only pleasure and happiness.
there is no Supreme Lord and his grace to hasten the entry When a jiva is enjoying life, the thoughts of Moksha are
JAIN DIGEST. Spring 2005/31 Jain Education International 2010_03