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BRAHMESHANANDA:ACARANGA The Philosophy of the Ācārā nga
Self-enquiry, the beginning of spiritual life. Although the Acāranga is not a philosophical treatise, it contains enough material to form the basis of a coherent philosophical system of thought. It begins on a high philosophical note with an enquiry into such fundamental questions as to who one is and where one comes from. 'Some do not know whether their soul is born again and again or not, nor what they were formerly, nor what they will become after death' (1.1.1). This enquiry into the nature of the self is stressed as the mother of all knowledge in the Acaranga. It is said : samsayam parijānato samsāre parinate bhavati, 'One conversant with this doubt knows the nature of the world' (1.5.1). This spirit of enquiry and thirst for knowledge are very different from doubt and wavering faith. 'He whose mind is always wavering does not reach Samādhi' (1.5.6).
But the subtle spiritual truths regarding one's soul, its past and future lives, cannot be known by ordinary means. They are known through one's own supersensuous perception or through the words of an enlightened seer (1.1.1). Such knowledge makes one 'a believer in soul, believer in the world, believer in Karma and believer in selleffort' (1.1.1). Thus, the preliminary doubt leads to this foursold faith which is the basis of the principle of ahumsā.
Ahimsā, the eternal law. Ahimsā, non-violence, is the central theme of the Ācārānga. The subtle and detailed analysis of the tendency to injure other beings, factors responsible for aggression and violence, and their ill effects on the individual and society, are discussed in such details as are not to be found elsewhere. The Acārānga forcefully advocates the principle of Ahimsā and attempts to deepen the sensitivity or individuals to the suffering of others so that a social order free from violence can be established. It stresses the fact that the existence of no creature can be denied simply because it is low in the scale of evolution.
The Arhats and the Bhagavatas of the past, present and future, all say thus, speak thus, declare thus, explain thus : all breathing, existing, living, sentient creature should not be stain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.
This is the pure, unchangeable, eternal law (dharma) which the wise ones, who have understood the miseries of the world, have declared... (1.4.1)
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