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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
(3) Samyag Caritra — However, this knowledge cannot reach its perfection unless it is followed by action, becaus: thought without action is disease. Knowledge can become real and Samyag only when it is 'experienced'. A bare academic knowledge is, according to the thinking of all shades of Indian philosophers, mere information. One knows' fully only when one experiences the thing which is to be known. Mere academic knowledge is philosophy, but when that knowledge is converted into actual action it becomes religion in practice. Western philosophers like Nietzche and Schopenhauer were mere philosophers. They did not and could not live what they preached. General tendency of the Western philosophers is to divorce philosophy from religion. In India such an approach is absolutely rejected. To an Indian vind no philosophy is worth anything unless it is lived in actual life. Here lies the importance of the distinction between Pratyaksa ( direct ) and Parokşa ( indirect ) knowledge discussed above. Philosophy which is not practiced in life, is not directly perceived and experienced by the self and hence it remains confined to mind. It belongs to the category of Mati or Sruta and has no status better than a mere information'.
It is for this reason that the third jewel Caritra assumes importance. If this Cáritra, i. e., the action in life, building of ones character as per Darśana and Jñana, is Samyag, i, e., proper, one is surely on the path of Mokșa — liberation. To achieve this, Mahavīra has prescribed five ethical principles, namely - Ahirisă (Non-violence ), Satya ( Truth ), Asteya (Non-stealing ), Brahmacarya (Celibacy) and Aparigraha ( Non-possession). What is the comprehensiveness of these principles and what is the technique to observe them would be the subject matter of a different discussion. It would, however, be sufficient to note here that unless the first two jewels are followed by the third, our jonrney to freedom would always remain incomplete. Ladder of Spiritual Development
As seen above, spiritual perfection comes after great effort,
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