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An Outline of Lord Mahavira Philosophy
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that caste is nothing, and that karma is everything and on the destruction of karma the future happiness depends.
Concentration is indispensable for getting equanimity of mind and consequent spiritual illumination. We have to contemplate on blissfulness, purity of body, and purity of mind. The following are the four ways to meditate on purity of mind: (1) love, (2) love towards the suffering world, (3) love towards the happy and (4) love towards the criminal or cruel persons.
In this world of misery, disease, old age and death, there is no other protection than the practice of the truth. The continual cycle of births and deaths will not be ended and therefore we should make some efforts to free qurselves, from it. According to Mahâvîra, a person must be earhest, of sound mind, pleasing by nature charitable, well-behaved, and of good moral character, compassionate, and sympathetic, just and impartial, cautious and honest, polite and intelligent and self-controlled.
In Jainism lesya is said to be that by means of which the soul is tinted with merit and demerit. It arises from yoga, or kasaya, namely, the vibrations due to the activity of the body, mind, or speech or the passions.
Karma is the deed of the soul. It is a material forming a subtle bond of extremely refined matter which keeps the soul confined to its place of origin or the natural abode of full knowledge and everlasting peace. According to Mahâvîra this universe is eternal and it is nothing but sum total of substances which have been existing from eternity and shall remain so for ever. In this universe nothing new is created nor is anything annihilated.
Moksa is the essential point in the teachings of Mahâvîra which a generally understood as emancipation. It really means the attainment of the highest state of sanctification by the avoidance of pain and miseries of the worldly life. It is the summum bonum or the state of perfect beatitude. It may also mean the final deliverance or liberation from the fetters of the worldly life and total annihilation or extinction of human passion.
Much importance is given to soul and individuality. Karma plays an important part in the Jaina metaphysics. The Jaina ethics has for its end moksa or liberation. Internal and external tapas are important in Jainism. The former comprises the austerities practised by the Jains and the latter, spiritual exercises. Fasting is
