Mysteries of Mind

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Today and Tomorrows Book Agency

Page 55

THE MYSTERIES OF MIND
There is no difference between freedom from passions and pure knowledge or kaivalya. As a matter of fact kaivalya means freedom of knowledge from infiltration by passions. It means the rehabilitation of consciousness. Once consciousness has been rehabilitated, inertia disappears from it once for all. Disappearance of inertia results in a dispassionate attitude of the mind which in its turn frees consciousness from further defilement. Kaivalya means the emergence of pure consciousness.
Once we get a glimpse of our native existence, we begin to command discernment which is the pre-condition of the regeneration of man. Discernment enables us to develop a neutral attitude of mind. It is the first result of the perception of our real existence. Neutrality of the mind is the second result. Neutrality means two things : indifference and to see things from a close quarter. Only he who is neutral can see things in their true light. He who is not neutral is unable to do so. He becomes attached to that which is pleasing and opposed to that which is not. Attachments and a versions produce a defective understanding which does not give us a correct picture of things.
Indifference means not to pay attention to or to discard. The neutral man is neither inclined towards pleasing things nor disinclined towards unpleasing things because he commands mental equilibrium or the sense of equality. Discernment produces neutrality, neutrality produces indifference and indifference brings about a balanced mind.
A complete reconstitution of personality is the tail-end of sādhana. It implies a surrender of the empirical self or personality. This surrender leads to the emergence of man's real and unqualified existence. The boundary of unqualified existence of the self begins where the boundary of the empirical self ends. Having crossed the boundary of the empirical self we enter into our pure existence or in other words the self becomes rehabilitated in its own existence. It becomes the sole emperor of its realm. This is the outcome of sādhanā. It is, however, difficult to achieve it.
Time is divided into three categories : the past, the present and the future. The Jainas use the term pratikramaņa (withdrawl) with reference to the past, pratyākhyāna (renu