Jain Journal 1974 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 23

JAIN JOURNAL
drew no inference from those experiences. In fact he considered questions in that direction irrelevant, whereas Mahavira built a definite theory on his mystic experiences.
Buddha's followers, however, did not show the restraint that he himself did, and therefore they split up into two camps on the basis of theory, wheras Mahavira's system left no scope for such a schism.
A well-known writer (Aravinda Ghosh) has classified spiritual systems under three heads namely ; (1) those that identify the divine with the individual, (2) those that identify the divine with cosmos and (3) those that visualize the divine as transcending both the individual and cosmos. Jainism falis clearly in the first group. The basic idea of salvation in Jainism is that the individual soul should recognise its essentially perfect nature as pure consciousness, free from all passions and emotions and experiencing peace and bliss in their highest form. Once this stage is reached, the cycle of birth and death comes to an end, and further quest and motive for Karmic activity also ceases. This stage is attainable in this very life, and with this very body, without depending on any miracle by a higher Being or intercession by a Saviour.
As has been remarked before, this conception of the Self comes very close to that of Vedanta although that system differs with regard to its conception of Non-Self and of the cycle of cosmic creation and destruction. It is very probable that Mahavira like Buddha observed the lack of individual responsibility and the devaition of conduct from principle around him, with the disastrous consequences of such a frame of mind, which beliefs in a system like Vedanta is likely to induce in ordinary human-beings. Mahavira therefore stressed the importance of progress in moral conduct along with spiritual development. He gave reality to both self and non-self. As a matter of fact an Arhat or what may be called Jivan-Mukta, that is to say, a person who has attained salvation but has not yet discarded the body, leads a dual existence, one transcending the senses and the other belonging to the sensorial sphere. Mahavira was careful not to go beyond his experience in building up his theory.
Jainism is very often regarded as a pessimistic system. It recognises the existence of suffering and misery in the universe, but it also lays down that it is possible to attain in this very universe and in one's own life a state of perfect bliss surpassing by far any joy or pleasure that can be experienced through the senses. In the hands of inferior authors, the insistence of Jaina doctrine on Atman being independent of every