Jain Moral Doctrine

Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Vikas Mandal

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JAIN MORAL DOCTRINE Jainas emphasise this point by saying that a Vrata or practice of morality should always be Nihalya, i.e., free from the three modes of subjective blemishes, described above.
i The Salya's refer to the negative requirements for the perfect practice of the Vratas. The following Bhāvanā's or meditations strengthen one's disposition or tendency towards moral practices and may be looked upon as the positive necessities for moral progress. In the first place, it should constantly be kept in view that violence, lying, stealing, sexual indulgence and attachment to worldly matters lead to undesirable consequences both here and hereafter; that they are in fact pains in themselves. Secondly, the constant contemplation about the transitory character of the worldly phenomena and our bodily activities also strengthens our attitude of Samvega or apprehension of the miseries of the world and of Vairagy spirit of renunciation. In the third place, the practice of moral conduct becomes considerably easy, if we develop in ourselves the ideals of Maitrī or a friendly attitude towards all living beings, Pramoda or delight in the company of persons who are advanced in the path of liberation, Kārunya or compassion for beings who are less fortunate than ourselves and Mādhyastha or tolerance towards illbehaved persons. These four attitudes, Bhāvanās or meditations as they are called, constitute a positive help to us in our progress in moral living.
Ahimsā or non-violence is abstention from Himsā or violence. Violence has been defined as doing injury to life through Pramattayoga or subjective disturbance due to passions. On analysis, violence is thus found to be due to the following. First of all, we have the body, the organ of speech and the internal sense of mind thrown into an agitated condition; these disturbances in the body, the mind or the organs of speech have repercussions into the soul which also is thrown into a vibratory, i.e., a strong inclinative unstable state, as a result of which the person hurts a living being. The essence of violence is the determination to hurt (the Pramatta-yoga) and the actual act of violence consists in hurting either one's own subjective self (Bhāva-prāņa) or objects attached to that (Dravya-prāņa), or another person's mentalities or objects connected with them. An object may be injured by accident or inspite of the best intention of a person (as in the case of a patient dying on being operated on by a surgeon) but as there is no intention to injure, no violence can be said to have been committed in such cases. There may even be cases in which there is no Himsā, although some amount of intentional violence may be put in. A doctor cuts open a diseased part
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