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TRUE MEANING OF RELIGION
So for as the leading causes responsible for the growth of fundamentalism and intolerant outlook are concerned, in my humble opinion, the lack of the true knowledge and understanding of the real nature and purpose of religion. By religion generally we mean to have some uncritical beliefs in supernatural powers and performance of certain rituals as prescribed in our religious texts, but it is not the true and whole purpose of religion. Haribhadra in his work “Sambodha Prakarana' (1/1) clearly remarks that the people talk about the path i.e. religion but they do not know that what is the path or religion in its true sense.
In the famous Jaina text, Kartikeyanupreksa (478), Dharma (religion) is defined as the real nature of the things. If it is so, then question arises what is the real nature of human being? In a Jaina text known as Bhagavati Sūtra (1/9), it is clearly mentioned that the nature and ultimate end of the soul is equanimity. Lord Mahāvīra has given two definitions of religion. In Ācārānga Sūtra (1/8/4) he says “worthy people preach that the religion is mental equanimity” Equanimity is considered as the core or essence of religion, because it is the real nature or essence of all the living beings, including human beings also. Equanimity is the state in which consciousness is completely free from constant flickering, excitements and emotional disorders and mind becomes pacific. It is the core of religion. Haribhadra says whether a person is a Svetambara or a Digambara or a Bauddha or belongs to any other religion, whosoever attains equanimity of mind, will attain the liberation (Sambodha Prakarana, 1/2).
Thus, the attainment as equanimity or relaxation from tensions is the essence of religions. Secondly, when we talk of social
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Jainism and its History
