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THE JAINA GAZETTE ced by Mohammedan ideas, they arose in opposition to idol. worship, and thereby put themselves in strong contrast with general Jain Tradition and Ritual.
Apart from these, and some other discrepancies, Jainism shows, throughout, a surprising conformity of doctrine, which has not been essentially affected since Mahavira's days, and which reveals a splendid interpretation of the sense of Life.
According to Jainism, the Universe is formed by an endless number of Jivas or individual souls, which, like the "monads" of Leibnitz, are in various stages of development, from the senseless and irrational Nigodas up to the Siddhas of highest perfection, and of 5 lifeless substances, viz. Space, Time, Matter, the Medium of Movement, and the Medium of Rest. The Universe, which is eternal, has never been destroyed and will never be so. It is governed by nothing but its own eternal laws, and has the shape of a standing man, with the Hells in its lower, the world of Men in its middle, and the Heavens in its upper part. It is crowned by the umbrella-shaped region of the Siddhas, the Perfect Ones, called Siddhasila, and is surrounded by the empty Aloka.
The Soul is eternal, omniscient, of unlimited energy, and of unlimited happiness. But all these qualities can display themselves only if the soul is free from heterogeneous matter. And matter has, since eternal time, been tied together with Soul, in the shape of Karma. Every moment, new Karma is being heaped up by its continuous activity. By this Karma, papa as well as punya, the Soul's natural qualities are covered and made ineffective. Jainism knows 158 (or 148 respectively) kinds of Karma, oiz. 5 kinds of Jnana-Avaraniya Karma, which, as a bandage over the eyes make seeing impossible, shut out right knowledge, 9 kinds of Darsana- Avaraniya Karma which, as a royal door-keeper hinders the king from seeing his visitors, shut out right sensual perception, 2 kinds of Vedaniya-Karma, which, like honey, being licked off from the edge of a sharp knife, cause both pleasure and pain, 28 kinds of Mohaniya-Karma which, like spiritual drinks, intoxicate the individual, 4 kinds of
Ayushya-Karma, which, as foot-irons make the individual help. Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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