Mahavira and his Philosophy of Life

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Jain Vidya Samsthan

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tendencies of the Arahanta reveal their original manifestation in his supreme mystical experience, which is ineffable and transcends all the similies of the world. (ii) Morals
As we have said, the performance of spiritual exercises presupposes the practice of morals. Without moral observances spiritual progress is inconceivable. The conviction of the Jaina is that for the man who is spiritually awakened, morality serves as a means to spiritual living, but for the ordinary man, it is an end in itself. The realm of morality is auspicious psychical states resulting in auspicious activities. The obstacles to the achievement of morals are inauspicious activities emanating from inauspicious psychical states. Thus in order to stamp out the inauspicious psychical states from the texture of self, the individual must abstain himself root and branch from violence, falsehood, theft, unchastity and acquisitions. This negative process of purifying the self necessarily requires the pursuance of the positive process of nonviolence (Ahimsa), truthfulness (Satya), non-thieving (Asteya), chastity (Brahmacarya) and non-acquisition (Aparigraha). These five virtues replace the five vices. It may be noted here that Ahimsa is the central and fundamental of these virtues. All the rest are regarded as the means for its proper sustenance, just as the field of corn requires adequate fencing for its protection. When the replacement of vices by virtues is total, we are said to observe complete (Sakala) morality and when it is partial, we have partial (Vikala) morality. He who observes complete morality is called a Muni, while he who observes partial morality is called a householder. The life of Aṇuvratas represents partial morality of the householder,
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