________________
14
right attitude or samyak-darśana and control over one's desires, regard for other's life and property and equal treatment in social life are known as equanimity of willing or right conduct. Again, right conduct consists of three organs i.e. mind, body and speech. According to Jaina thinkers equanimity of mind, body and speech should be a directive principle of religious life. The equanimity of mind is non-attachment (anāsakti or aparigraha), equanimity of body is non-violence (ahimsa) and equanimity of speech is non-absolutism (anekānta or syādvāda). Non-attachment, non-violence and non-absolutism are the three pillars of Jainism, and are fully competent to meet the needs of our age and to establish peace and harmony in the world.
Non-attachment and Regard for Other's Necessities
As I have already mentioned that most burning problem of our age is the problem of mental tensions. The nations, who claims more civilised and economically more advanced are much more in the grip of mental tensions. The main objective of Jainism is to emancipate man from his sufferings and mental tensions. First of all we must know that what is the cause of these mental tensions. For, Jainism, the basic human sufferings are not physical, but mental. These mental sufferings or tensions are due to the our attachment towards worldly objects. It is the attachment, which is fully responsible for them. The famous Jaina text Uttaradhyayana-sutra mentions "The root of all sufferings physical as well as mental, of every body including gods, is attachment towards the objects of worldly enjoyment." It is the attachment, which is the root cause of mental tensions. Only a detached attitude towards the objects of worldly enjoyment can free mankind from his mental tensions. According to lord Mahavira to remain attached to sensuous objects is to remain in the whirl. He says "Misery is gone in the case of a man who has no delusion, while delusion is gone in the case of a man who has no desire, desire is gone in the case of a man who has no greed, while greed is gone in the case of a man who has no attachment."8 The efforts made to satisfy the human desires through material objects can be likened to the chopping off of the branches while watering the roots. Thus we can conclude that the lust for and the attachment towards the objects of worldly pleasure is the sole cause of human suffering.
7 Uttaradhyayana-sutra, 32/19. Ibid., 32/7-8.
JAIN JOURNAL
7
If mankind is to be freed from mental tension. it is necessary to grow a detached outlook in life. Jainism believes that the lesser will be the attachment the greater will be the mental peace. It is only when attach
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
