Jaina Acara Siddhanta aur Svarupa

Author(s): Devendramuni
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 68

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Jaina Acara: Siddhanta aura Swarupa
(7) Even though living in the world, the aspirant lives above it, like the lotus in water. This is the culmination of the state which transcends three nature-born qualities. It may be compared to the thirteenth stage and the Buddhistic 'Arhata'.
(8) It is the summum bonum where nothing more is to be accomplished. He controls all activities and raises the vital breath upwards. With perfect, unfailing concentration pronouncing 'Aum', he leaves his body and is instantly emancipated.
The comparison of these eight with the Jaina stages is after all one-sided. There is no sequential order here but even then it is not without use. Buddhism divides people into Pṛthak i.e. laymen and Arya. The first are underdeveloped whereas the second are perfectly developed. All those belonging to the first category are not alike. A few of them are almost as good as the second category. The first are either 'andha' or 'kalyaṇa'. The first adhere to false belief but the second do try for liberation but without
success.
Hinayana prescribes four conditions to attain the goal :
(1) Srotapannabhūmi - It means current. The aspirant who treads the path of general welfare attains this state on untying three knots.
(2) Sakṛdunagāmi- It is to take the body as soul and remain attached to it (2) to entertain doubts.
(3) Expression of the inherent power of the vow of good conduct.
The aspirant on the right track has unquestioned faith in the Buddha Dharma and his Order, has pure thoughts and right conduct and thus attains salvation in seven births at the maximum. It may be compared to the Jaina stages from fourth to seventh.
In the fourth stage an aspirant is blessed with indestructibly right attitude. In higher stages his vision and conduct attain purity. In the seventh stage there still remains the fourfold endless partial renunciation, freedom from anger, pride, deceit, greed, laughter and the like. In the 'srotapana' stage too, the sexual craving does not torment any more but other passions like attraction, aversion and delusion still remain.
(2) Sakrdunagāmi - In the 'srotapana' stage the aspirant destroys sensuous passion, the urge to do evil to others and the like, but the causes of bondage like attachment, aversion, delusion etc. still remain, even though the objective is the annihilation of passions. It is comparable to the eighth Jaina stage since the aspirant ultimately becomes free from delusion. The Bauddhas have termed it 'Anāgamî'. Jainism holds that he who lives his full life in stages from eighth to eleventh attains salvation in the third birth at the most but the Bauddhas believe that no more birth is necessary for salvation. For Private & Personal Use Only