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conditioned and overwhelmed by the senses is in bondage and the self, which has control over them, is called the emancipated or the enlightened one. In fact, the self being yoked to desires constitutes bondage and when the desires are shed, the self appears in its pristine purity, it is emancipated. The Jaina view of the spiritual goal is that it is within the aspirant and not outside. What is realised by spiritual practices is not an external object, but the full manifestation of one's inner potentialities of self remain same at the beginning of the quest and at its end; the difference lies in the realisation or actualisation of these potentialities. Just as a seed is capable of being developed into a tree, and it actualises his capability when it is really grown in the form of a tree, similarly the soul (ātmā) which has the potentiality of being the Supreme-Soul (paramātmā), becomes perfect by realising its potentialities of infinite knowledge, infinite perception, infinite bliss and infinite power. According to Jainism salvation lies in the full development of our potentialities. The mission of Jainism is the realisation of the self through the self. The godhood which is already present in the self has to be manifested and the soul has to be brought to its purity. Thus the spiritual journey of soul starts form impure state of the soul and ends with the pure state of the soul (Suddhātma).
From the Jaina view-point the path of liberation is also not different from the self. The three aspects of our consciousnesscognition, affection and conation, when rightly oriented constitute the path of emancipation. In the Jaina philosophy, the three-fold path of liberation consists of right knowledge (Samyak-jñāna), right belief (Samyak-darśana) and right conduct (Samyak-cāritra). This implies that the congnitive, affective and conative wings of the self, processed into right knowledge, right belief and right conduct, appear to be the real path. Thus considered, the path of emancipation is also soul-stuff. As Ācārya Kundakunda puts it :
Adā khu majjhaņāņa ādā me daṁsaņaṁ carittam ca Ādā paccakkhāņaṁ ādā me saṁvaro jogo. Daṁsaņaņa carittāņi sevidavvāņi sāhuņā ņiccaṁ. Tāņi puņa jāņa tiņņvi appāņam ceva nicchayado.
(Samayasära, 18.19)
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