Jaina Acara Siddhanta aur Svarupa

Author(s): Devendramuni
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 44

III
RIGHT FAITH - The basis of Jaina conduct.
A layman is very often led away by extemal splendour, by the imposing beauty of palatial buildings, but a specialist in the line will dive deep to find out the quality of material used and how deep the foundation was laid. He will judge the beauty of a building from the technical side so as to have a clear idea of its lasting quality. Jainism has attracted the attention of all and sundry but we must know what exactly has popularised this religion and philosophy. Modesty, discipline, compassion, charity and other such good qualities have been taken to be the essence of Jainism. It has been held that right faith is the essential basis of the Jaina religious conduct, philosophy and culture. Our life will be refulgent to the extent we will have the strength to withstand the onslaught of deluding passions and prejudices. The right faith guarantees the realisation of truth as a result of deep and abiding faith in it. It is but right to make the right faith oriented towards attempts to perceive truth at first hand. Ours is the age of science whose vision is confined to material welfare and that too, not possibly for all. It has only added to our necessities without giving us the wherewithals to pursue them with the result that people are going astray, not knowing where to reach. Jainism is for renunciation and not for carnal pleasures, for reconciliation rather than confrontation, for parity rather than disparity and for purity rather than impurity. Scientific progress may prove not a blessing but a veritable curse. If we lose the soul can world empire stand us in good stead ? A man may be great' but he is not good at the same time which, very often, is the case. Our peace of mind will be neither here nor there. Science looks without whereas righteousness looks within . All that glitters is not gold. Science has ignored the subjective element which really rules over the objective. When science is abused and misused, right faith alone can be our saviour. The world is too much with the people. Day and night man is confronted by the world and has no time to ask himself who he is and what for he has come to this world. Why should the cycle of birth and rebirth be endless? Why should love be lost amongst people? Why should there be the rule of hatred, revenge, indignation and unhealty competition ? What we first need is confidence. Then right thinking and right faith. These are not to be taken from outside. What is latent has to be made patent which depends on our perseverance in the right direction. The self has the potency to become the super-self but our attachment to the world has debased our souls