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* RELEVANT QUESTIONS ANSWERED (2)
Question: Why is Non-violence not a central concept in Jainism? Why according to me the central concept is Samyaktva and not non-violence?
Answer: (1) Non-violence is only one of the means of achieving the goal and it is always the goal which is the central concept of a frame. The goal in Jainism is Moksha, emancipation from Karmic matter's flow and adhesion on to the soul leading to no more births and deaths. This is a state of existence comparable only to the state of Perfect Samyaktva i. e. Equalness, Harmoniousness & peacefulness, the state in which all knowledge, perception, power and bliss are centered, the state achieved by Siddha-the unembodied purest Consciousness and also the dis-embodied purest Consciousness which till this state was achieved was embodied developing to the rank of Arhanta. In other words : Pure Consciousness Unmanifest and Pure Consciousness manifested gradually attaining to the status of Arhanta while embodied and then Siddha after being dis-embodied. Samyaktva includes all the three: Darshana, Gnana, and Charitra.
2. The language in which Jainism has been preached is bristling with words derived from this concept of Samyaktva of which the root word is 'Sama': Samayika, Samakita, Sramana, Shata, Ashatana, Shanti, Samata, Samiti, Samaya, Samsara, Samadhi etc.
3. And lastly it is this concept of Samyaktva out of which have resulted non-violence, love, compassion viz all vows (vrata-s),
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by the Author during the Montreal (Canada) Symposium 1985
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