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The Path of Arhat : A Religious Democracy
means destruction of accumulated karmas. Thus, while 'Saṁvara' prevents fresh inflow of karmas, 'Nirjara' destroys the accumulated karnias. When both the processes are complete what follows is Mokşa, i. e., liberation. Let us see how this process happens.
Experience-based thinking process - Sain vara is the beginning of the process of change in reverse direction of bondage. As the ultimate tendency of every Jiva', whether of a human being or that of "Nigoda', i. e., the lowest level of living beings such as fungus, bacterias and virus is to ascend. In the course of his seemingly endless struggle, during endless cycle of births and deaths, the self sometimes progresses and sometimes falls back spiritually. By each step forward or backward it experiences, tastes the good and bad fruits of life and ultimately, may be after millions of years, a time comes when it realizes the futility of worldly existence, becomes awakened and tries to find out why and how all previous existences have no able to bring out permanent peace and solace, always sought for. Initially it all appears to be a vain search-a search for nothing. At this stage one may be induced to adopt the attitude of Cárvá kas and may begin to think that the talk of permanent happiness is a mere hallucination. There is nothing beyond this human existence which must be exploited and enjoyed to the full. It may also be induced to take up the line of 'Niyativādi' thinkers ( determinists ) like Gośala, that it is all destined and no human effort can save us from this destiny, hence take it easy and enjoy all the material pleasures which are offered by life. However, the process does not stop there. The intrinsic character of every ‘Jiva' being consciousness, it is endowed with constant thinking process and experiences of pleasure and pain. These experiences, gained from the enjoyment of the material objects and the attitude of limiting the soul's journey only to the present existence, are bound to lead to many imponderables, incongruencies and inequities. When this is properly realized, the consciousness does not remain stagnant and its thinking process begins to reconsider the stand hitherto adopted. A stage comes
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