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Jain Theism
rather to speak with, in others rather to be united with his God, the later type of religion being that which is often designated by the word 'mystical'.... In Hinduism, emphasis on union with the divine, as the goal of spiritual endeavor, is more marked then in the religion of most Christians."14
Let us examine, in this regard, what is the position in Jainism. In Jainism the soul attains perfection and becomes God. A Jain God is a perfected soul. But then the worshipper is not a perfected soul but an embodied Jiva -a polluted soul. The Jiva or a Jain who worships does not worship his own soul but Arhat or Siddha who has now become God. Again the worshipper's soul in its pure form is same as that of Arhat or Siddha but on his path or Sadanā he is a worldly soul in bondage. Such a soul or such a Jain worshipper when too much passionate in his devotion what is his desire, specially with reference to his relationship with the divine. To put the same problem in more simple terms, we can ask what is the religious experience to a passionate devotee in Jainism. If we look to the Jain metaphysics it gives a detailed theory of matter. Jainism talks of self realizations. But then the self itself is material. Again Jainism has accepted the soul to have infinite power. This means the soul, according to Jainism is capable enough to experience anything and everything. The soul that experiences is to be experienced. One who experiences i.e. the soul, is to be experienced i.e. its pure nature, in its essence is to be experienced. On the other side, in Jainism, the soul is also having its attributes (Guna) as well as modes (Parayāya). This means whenever, according to Jainism, one has realization, he will have the realization of this or that mode of self but not the whole or pure self. One may experience only an aspect of the soul and not the soul in its totality. This is what I call self-realization or Atma Darśana. Now in Jainism, the modes are infinite (anantānanta) and Kevala Jñāṇa. In Ananta Darśan the experience is of infinite modes.
All these modes are relative and so it is the experience of infinite relativeness. While Kevala Jñana is absolute. There is no mode in it. Everything is related to it. Kevala Jñānna is nothing but an absolute knowledge without relativity. It knows the whole and it is known as infinite knowledge. This is so very difficult and so it can't be attained in one life. Thus if you attain Kevala Jñāna (absolute
14. Webb, Clement C. J., Theism and Absolutism, p. 387
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