Jain Digest 2014 11

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

Page 23

parcel of one organic whole, but if one is taken by itself, it mudita (being happy) and these four explain the relationship becomes a false doctrine.
between body and soul. The east and the west both pursue happiness but the east relates the idea of happiness to the soul and which is, therefore, spiritual, while the west relates it to the body and which is material or physical.
The Symbol common to all religions in India is "OM." Instead of dividing this symbol into three letters, we Jainas divide it into five: A. A. A. U. M. Of these five letters, four are vowels, the fifth being a consonant. The whole combination is sounded OM. These five letters are the first letters of five generic names of great personages. The first letter A, is the first letter of Arhut, the highest and perfected prophet, the living human being in the perfected state. While living in this world he acts as the spiritual master of his order. The second letter is the first syllable of another generic word. It signifies bodiless, liberated souls. While the Arhut is living, acting as spiritual master, these are liberated beings after human existence. (Not earth-bound spirits). These are liberated souls. The third is the first letter of a class of religious masters who do not stand on as high a level as the others, but are leaders of an order who may reach a higher state. The fourth is the first letter of the class who are disciples, students under religious masters, who are going to reach that higher state. The fifth is the first letter of the class which means holy men or holy women. It is sounded OM. When we sound that word we bring before our minds these five classes of beings. We attach spiritual meanings to this symbol.
According to Virchand Gandhi, Jaina philosophy is a perfect system and it teaches how to develop memory and sharpen it. He cites the examples of Kalikalsarvajna Hemchandracharya, Shrimad Rajchandra, Pandit Gatulalji and others who possessed phenomenal retentive memory. Hemchandracharya, it is reported, would sit with forty scribes early in the morning and dictate a sentence on grammar to the one, then go to the other scribe dictating a line on prosody and by turn dictate a line or a sentence to each of the forty scribes. Within a short span of time all the forty works would be ready. Virchand Gandhi also mentions Satavadhani - being attentive to 100 people at a time - Shrimad Rajchandra and Pandit Gatulalji, a Vaishnavait, who was blind and could not read, but would remember word by word what he had heard.
JAIN DIGEST
The image of India in those days in western countries was that of a backward country steeped in orthodox customs and its people being uncivilized. At that time, Virchand Gandhi portrayed India differently as an enlightened nation of glorious traditions. Later in his talk, he discusses the basic tenets and principles of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism and explains the principles of atma, karma and reincarnation from the point of view of each of those three faiths. In the introduction to his article 'Essential Philosophy of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism', he draws attention to a 'madhubindu picture' which he had seen in an upashraya when he was eight-year-old and which represents man's quest for desires. Later, he discusses the six systems of Hinduism in a very lucid, easy-to understand style. 'The True Laws of Life' is about the divergence between oriental and occidental ways of life. He dwells upon four basic principles of maitri (friendship), karuna (compassion), upeksha (being ignored) and
Doctrine of Karma: Virchand Gandhi, for the first time, made the western world aware of Jaina doctrine of Karma. According to western scholar of Jainism, and especially of Jaina doctrine of Karma, V. Glasenapp himself had admitted that the lectures of Virchand Gandhi had shed new light on the doctrine, and were an authoritative source of enlightenment. This German Scholar wrote his doctorate dissertation on the theory of karma in Jaina religion. It is very unfortunate that not many knew about Gandhi's scholarship or profound knowledge about principles of Jainism and those interested in Indian ethics too did not seriously study the principles he enunciated and interpreted. He was equally at home in the Vedic, Buddhisth and Jaina philosophy. He knew and understood the finer nuances of karma as they underwent changes during different times and the volume 'Karma Philosophy' is a testimony to his profound study of the subject. In the fourteenth chapter 'Karma', he has discussed the Jaina point of view about karma.
He was an ardent vegetarian and perhaps he was the first vegetarian to set his feet on the American soil. He had obtained special permission from the captain of the ship for a separate kitchen while on his way to England. The magician Nathu Manchha of Mahuva accompanied him as a chef on the ship. Emphasizing on vegetarianism, Virchand Gandhi says that after considering all these things, our philosophers have given us the rule that it is not the best plan to eat animal food. There are minor objections to all these rules; one is that all persons cannot live on cereals; but there are other vegetables and fruits, and in the case of fruits almost all of these are in such a condition that they can be digested at once and do not require such work of the stomach, and fruit would be one of the best foods as it has the first quality of matter passivity, purity and quietness. These qualities are to be found to a large extent in almost all fruits and substantial foods like wheat.
He explains systematically that even among the vegetables we have certain reasons for objecting to certain kind of vegetables. While these rules are not to be found among the Brahmins, the Jainas observe them strictly. With us no vegetable is eaten which is grown underground, because it takes its quality from the minerals, without contact from the sunlight, and so it would belong to the third class, and of course have the third quality. We do not encourage such food on that account.
Live and Let Live: The universe is not for man alone, but is a theatre of evolution for all living beings. 'Live and let live' is their guiding principle. Ahimsa paramo dharma - Noninjury is the highest religion. Their ceremonial worship, institutions, manners and customs (purely Jaina) all rest on this grand fulcrum of Ahimsa. Man, in his desire to continue his
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