________________
complete freedom of the soul from karmic matter is called moksha. In Jainism moksha is not a place in heaven, but the attainment of the state of liberated soul, a final emancipation from the endless cycles of birth and death. According to German sociologist Max Weber, Jainism is a liberation religion of "cultured professional monks", and as such it requires considerable amount of spiritual education and training on the part of those who wish to follow the path of Jainism.
The Jain path to salvation consists of simultaneous pursuit of the right belief or perception, right knowledge and right conduct (samyak-darshan, samyak-jnana and samyak-charitra). The three together are known as ratnatrayh (three jewels) in Jain philosophy. The right belief consists in believing in the fundamentals of Jainism. According to Acharya Umaswami, "Tattvartha Sraddhanam samyagdarsanam", that is, right belief is the faith in the true nature of the substances as they are (Tattvarthadhigama-Sutra, Chapter 1, Sutra 2). At the same time, right belief also consists in believing in the true Jain god, the true Jain scriptures (shastras), and the true Jain preceptors (gurus). The observance of right belief additionally requires the eight essential requisites, freedom from three kinds of superstitious beliefs (mudhatas), and freedom from eight kinds of pride or arrogance (mada). All these conditionalities are extremely difficult in practical observance as these are required to be rigorously followed by those who wish to advance on the path of salvation.
The second jewel of the tri-ratna of the liberation path, the right knowledge consists in having full comprehension of the real nature of soul and non-soul (i.e. matter) in such a manner that such knowledge should be free from doubt, perversity, and vagueness or wide finiteness" (Sangave 2006: 58). We have already discussed the five kinds of means of acquiring such knowledge. How to do that has been deliberated upon at great length in Jain scriptures in terms of the right kinds of requirements that are again rigorous in observances. In short, "the right knowledge can be acquired by pursuit with devotion, by reading sacred scriptures, understanding their full meaning and significance in proper time and with punctuality, imbued with zeal, proper behaviour and open mind" (Sangave 2006: 60).
29 Jains in India and Abroad
