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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
wander in darkness and experience miseries. They are greatly helpful to those who sincerely desire spiritual development and make honest efforts for that. When we classify the instrumental causes into two types—primary instrumental causes and secondary instrumental causes, then the company of saints, practice of the religious activities or rituals, etc., belong to the former type, while human birth, etc., belong to the latter type.
Let me tell you an instructive story. There lived two strong and stout brāhmaṇas in the city of Mathura. They wanted to go to the town of Gokula. They decided to travel by a boat. Early night they boarded the boat. Throughout the whole night, they rowed vigorously. But at dawn, they found that the boat had not moved; it had remained there only where it had been. They wondered as to how that happened in spite of their great efforts. There arrived a wise man. He drew their attention to the fact that they had not untied the rope with which the boat was fastened to the trunk of a tree on the bank of a river.
Similarly, we are bound to this miserable worldly existence with the strong bonds of passions like anger, greed, etc. Without cutting or loosening them, we cannot free ourselves from the miserable worldly existence. There is no other way. This is the eternal truth.
Now let us recall and enumerate in brief the different types of causes required for the production of an effect.
Regarding a pot: Agent or doer
- A potter Effect
- A pot Activity
- Activity performed by the potter with his
skilled hands. Material Cause
Clay Instrumental Cause . A wheel, a staff, etc. Uncommon Cause - All the intermediary states, forms or trans
formations clay assumes before the emer
gence of a pot. Expected Cause
. The sky, land, etc. Regarding spiritual development: Agent or doer
- Soul Effect
- Godhood or the state of the Supreme Soul Activity
- Righteous conduct Material Cause
• Soul itself
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