Book Title: Jainism Some Essays
Author(s): A S Gopani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Page 129
________________ 122 Jainism Similarity between their teachings Karma--Rebirth Not only do they both believe in the theories of Karma and Rebirth but they both have presented the same in a real spirit. The Law of Karman is an axiomatic truth and God's intervention here is out of place. Karman itself yields the result and it is not entrusted to God. BothMahāvira and Buddha-have preached that a being is the architect of his fortune-good or bad and that this world's cycle is dependent on the Law of Karman only. It is not in the hands of others, not in the hands of God even, to mend or mar one's prospects. It is in his own hands. Both have declared this with equal force and honesty. 2. Disproving the existence of God - Mahāvira and Buddha themselves can preach; both advance the cause of ideals and principles; both can show the way to liberation. But no one can get it through his favour only. They both have no right to oblige and one with the grant of freedom as they like. He who wants it should take to a road leading to it. Thus, in the real sense of the term, they are at best the guides only. 3. The Yoga - Both have shown that emancipation is unobtainable without the help of mental peace existence through the performance of sacrifices. Both preached the performance of spiritual sacrifice in place of sacrifice wh ch was performed with such means as animal slaughter etc. etc. This spiritual sacrifice was not dependent on any external help or means but on the contrary it could be performed only by dispensing with it. To remove internal agonies and vices and to achieve this to mediate as also to make an intense effort to purify the soul constitute the way to Yoga. It is sufficient to lead a life of solitude, of possessionlessness and of self-introspection in order to achieve this end. 4. Life of self-control – There are no signs of renunciation seen in the lives of Rama and Krsna, meaning thereby that they do not accept the importance of renouncing the world taking it to be unsubstantial Not only this but they do not adopt renunciation as a way of life. As opposed to this, both these great men-Mahāvira and Buddha-believe with equal intensity that the world is fit merely to be renounced and also think that they should kick it out when detachment is on the rise. They accepted a life of self-restraint in the very prime of life. Hereby, they gave the ideal of self-control, new and beneficial, to the world. The way of life based on material pursuits and pleasures is Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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