Jain System in Nutshell

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Nij Gyan Sagar Shiksha Kosh Santa MP

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these and allied processes. These are equivalent to the four psychological processes of (i) suppressing and (ii) dissolving or destroying evil thoughts (iii) liberalising and (iv)diverting them into better direction It pleases anyone looking at this tuning of scientists and psychologists with Jaina injunctions. It is, thus, natural that with sound body and proper meditational practices, one could move higher and higher ethical or spititual level to become sacredly active.
The Jainas have developed a 14-ladder concept for spiritual development to judge about the gradual emotional and passional purification status. It indicates that supression is not the proper way for mental control as it sometimes over-reacts leading to downfall from XI stage to VI stage. Similarly, if proper care in restraint and austerities is not taken, one can drop from stage IX to stage IV and stage VII to stage IV. The downfall will require higher dis-solutional efforts. In contrast, we find that dis-solution of passions is a better procedure so that one moves directly upwards from stage X to stage XII and stage V to stage VIII. The fourteenth stage is the highest in ladder leading to zeroing of all passions, emotions and activities and finally to highest spiritual and ethical goal. of infinite bliss and highest position of the liberated souls. Thus, one finds that even in ethical field, the Jainas have adopted the same principles and practices as have been developed by current scientists and psychologists 26. The spritual ladder is shown in fig. 1 in the form of traditional serpent ladder game.
Lower
life
1
(14)
(6)
Higher life
2
(13)
(8)
(5)
Humans
3
(12)
(9)
Fig: 1. Serpent Ladder: Spiritual Stages (Gunasthan)
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(2)