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TATTVĀRTHA (THE FUNDAMENTALS)
The Fundamentals -
The Jaina view holds that the ultimate aim of all living existence is to attain nirvāṇa or liberation from the mundane worldly existence beset with the pain and miseries of birth, disease, decay and death. The Jaina philosophy does not believe in an almighty God who can grant liberation to any soul that serves Him or His cause and holds the individual living-beings responsible for their own actions -- good or bad. The Jaina thinkers, therefore, have found the answer to this puzzling riddle of miserable worldly existence and liberation there from in terms of nine fundamentals that can logically explain the way it is attained. The liberating path lies in having the right-vision or right attitude (Samyagdarśana), the right-knowledge (Samyagjñāna) and observing the right-conduct (Samyakcăritra). Of these three ingredients of liberty, too, the first - Samyagdarśana is the very basic requirement because in its absence any amount of knowledge and any type of conduct only amount to false knowledge and false conduct. Vācaka Umāsvāti, in his Tattvārthasūtra, has said that Samyagdarśana is nothing but a firm belief in the fundamental verities (Tattvārtha), their proper knowledge is the right-knowledge and the conduct in accordance
