Jainism Some Essays

Author(s): A S Gopani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 29

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Jainism
Thus an effort, albiet feable has been made here to show the logical relationship and coherence between the fundamentals of Jainism. It is necessary to get the knowledge of these rudiments for going to the root of the intrinsic nature of the Jain philosophy and metaphysics. It is equally necessary, nay imperative to have the knowladge of external form also of any religion as it is of the internal one. Here I have to deal with that of Jainism.
(4) JAINA SANGHA AND SPREAD OF JAINISM
Jaina Sangha means a Community of those aspirants who cherish the goal of putting into practice the principles and tanats just described before. Jainism has laid more stress on the individual's practice. But because an individual cannot remain alienated from the society, it gave rise to the necessity of the formation of social groups which, besides doing religions p.rformances singly, helped others also in their religious activities. This two fold nature of the performance of religions duty, individual and social, created possibility for Jainism to break its own confines and to journey its way into greater India. The result of the internal and external forms of religious discipline
Jainism got prevalence and publicity in a proper manner as long as it kept before it Mahāvira's own practices and disciplines, ha It gathered momentum due to its own intrinsic worth and internal strength. Mahāvīra's intense spirituality attracted kings and rich persons also and the objectives which motivated these people to popularize Jainism were not always pure and unquestionable. The aim was ultra-spiritual, that is to say, they did it with a view to getting convenience and concessions from kings and the like to construct temples and instal idols and images as also to influence them to issue commands to abserve Amāri (Non-injury) in their kingdoms as scrupulously as possible. Jainism did not come down from its exalted plane so long as its intrinsic and extrinsic forms for popularizing it moved in unison. The moment its internal vitality was lost sight of, the accent was shifted to external form and then there was a fall in the real value of Jainism. The soul of Jainism was neglected; the body flourished. It fared exactly as the body without soul-This phenomenon was a sufficient factor that wiped it out from greater India and there are no signs of its existence even in Eastern India where it grew, sprouted and blossomed. The bodies without souls are to be found there in the form of temples without worshippers. The Jainas of the West and South go there and worship. This is the condition in the eastern past of India. Really speaking, Jainism in Eastern India has been reduced to a situation exactly similar to that which the Asokan edicts and inscriptions met with in India.