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MEANING OF PEACE
The term 'Peace' has various connotations. It can be defined in different ways from different angles. Intrinsically peace means a state of tranquility of mind. It is the state in which self rests in its own nature, undisturbed by external factors. Peace means soul devoid of passions and desires. Acārānga mentions that an aspirant who has attained peace has no desire. Peace means cessation of all desires. Sūtrakṛtānga equates it with Niravana i.e., the emancipation from all desires. In other words, it is the state of selfcontentment or total subjectivity i.e. the state of pure Seer. Acārānga maintains that one who is aware of peace will not fall in the grip of passions.
While defining peace, Saint Thomas Aquinas has rightly maintained the same view. He says, "peace implies two things first our self should not be disturbed by external factors and secondly, our desires should find rest in one i.e. the self." This inner peace can also be explained from negative and positive view-points. Negatively, it is the state of the cessation of all the passions and desires. It is the freedom from the vectors of attachment and version. Positively, it is the state of bliss and self contentment. But we must remember that these positive and negative aspects of inner peace are interdependent on each other, they cannot exist without each other. We can only distinguish them but not divide them. The inner peace is not mere and abstract idea, but it is something, which is whole and concrete. It represents our infinite self.
Now we turn to the external peace. While the inner peace is the peace of our self, external peace is the peace of society. We can also define it as environmental peace. In Jainism, the Prakrta word 'Śānti'- Sanskrta equivalent Ksanti, also means forgiveness. In Sūtrakṛtānga, among ten virtues the first and foremost is forgiveness, the basic need for social
305 Jainism and its History
