Religion and Philosophy of the Jainas

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Jain International Ahmedabad

Page 60

CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
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powers may come out, and there is real gain and not loss of anything. Take universal love and the result derived from the practice of this is freedom from danger of any kind. A person who practises universal love to the highest extent in all the relations of life has no fear of injury from any source; but we generally do not practise these things and therefore how can we expect to derive real benefit from them? Nothing can injure such a person except on account of the Karma engendered in the past life which is not yet worked out. We say then that though we can derive many results, obtain many occult powers by the practice of these moral acts, that is not the object of the moral acts. They are to be practised for their own sake.
Finally comes in the spiritual nature of the soul. What is, really speaking, the spiritual nature of the soul? It may be said to have a centre but no circumference, and therefore cannot be described by any words: it can only be experienced by all of us, if we are living on that plane; but we can sometimes describe it by simile. The idea of the soul is always explained by the circle. Its having no circumference means simply that there is a unit, a real soul, but it cannot be located The description which would be given of different things is just according to the idea that we derive through experience of our senses. As the soul itself is not a thing which can be perceived by the senses, no material description could be used for it. We say that the soul passes into Nirvana. We express this idea in sentences, so that we may have at least some idea of the condition which is called Nirvāṇa though it cannot be described in language. We say that that condition is infinite existence, infinite knowledge, infinite bliss, and we must bear in mind that infinite conditions mean not material senseconditions having no end. There cannot be two infinities; there cannot be two things existing at the same time at all points, if we regard merely space; but infinite power does not require space; it is not a material thing. Material power may require a material medium and infinite material power must require an infinite medium; therefore there could not be two such material