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14. RELIGION : BELIEVING
AND WORSHIPPING
0. Right Belief
Indian philosophers in general and Jains in particular emphasize that perfection and self-realization is integral in soul and yet it has been hindered from achieving its infinite glory from eternity. The soul has been oblivious of its own real nature and bas been wandering in wilderness.
The principle which acts as bindrance against self-realization is called avidyā or mithyātva (nescience) or moha (delusion), because it deludes the soul by producing perverse belief or faith. The soul is lured in the wrong direction and it clings to the worldly life as the source of happiness which leads to the endless cycles of re-births. The common aim of all the Indian Systems is to show the way out of this vicious circle and the very first step in this direction is the destruction of nescience or perverse belief.
According to the doctrine of karman in Jain philosophy, the most vicious bondage is that of belief-deluding (darsana mohaniya) karman. Its function is to delude the soul and produce nescience --- perversity of faith/belief (mithyadarsana).
In order to destroy the perversity, the first thing that is necessary is possession of right belief of spiritual conviction (samyagdarśana). Once this happens, the soul turns back and treads upon the right path. Thus right belief is the foundation of Jain religion; it (samyagdarśana) is the sinc qua non -- forerunner / precursor -- of right knowledge (samyagjñāna) and right conduct (samyakcăritra). 1. Knowledge Depends on Believing
The very word belief implies conviction and trust and the essential feature of all our beliefs is that we believe in them, they are the props and stays of our brain programs. Without belief we could not have trust in
