Book Title: Samkit Faith Practice Liberation
Author(s): Amit B Bhansali
Publisher: Amit B Bhansali

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 231
________________ In contrast, one who has samyaktva is indifferent to sansaara. He is headed upwards. He remains free from the web of worldly joys and sorrows. The soul, which has samyaktva enters and exits life without being bounded to it. It does not remain tied down like a prisoner. He sees things as they truly are (dravya drishti) and does not see things as they currently appear (paryaaya drishti). Dravya drishti means being able to see the true nature of a substance. Paryaaya drishti means only seeing the current manifestation of a substance. The soul, which has samyaktva knows that dravya {basic attribute) is eternal while paryaaya {temporary manifestation} is transitory. Let us understand this through an example: Suppose you have a rare and beautiful flower vase made of glass. Your domestic help brings her 8-year-old child with her one day as there is no one to look after him at her home. The child accidentally breaks the beautiful flower vase. You get mad at him and slap him. You get mad at your domestic help and hurl abuses at her. You are really upset about the breaking of your vase. It stays on your mind. What if the same precious vase were broken by your grandson? You would neither be so upset nor would you feel such intense anger. In fact, you would forget about the flower vase and check to see that your grandson was not injured by the shattered glass. You would not be concerned about the vase. But instead be filled with concern for your grandson. Thus, your behaviour would be different for your domestic help's son and your own grandson. Why? Both are living beings. Both are souls. The reason is that we are looking at their current manifestations (paryaaya) and allowing that to determine our response towards them. Therefore, we displayed affection and attachment towards one soul (the grandson) and aversion and dislike towards another soul (the domestic help's son). The samyakdrishti knows that all souls are the same. Each soul is capable of becoming god. Realising this, the samyakdrishti does not lose his equanimity in such a situation. He is aware that it is the nature of material substances (pudgala) to part and come together. The material particles that formed the flower vase today shall form something else tomorrow. Hence, he knows that one should not hurt the soul, which is eternal for the sake of a material substance, which is transient in nature. This is why when the vase is broken by his grandson or domestic help's son, in either case he remains calm. For such a person, anger is rare and easily conquered. Bharata Chakravarti fought several wars in order to win the six continents and establish himself as the emperor of the world. He caused so much of strife and bloodshed. And despite that, he attained omniscience and liberation in the very same life. Did he not bind karmas owing to the wars he fought? Jainism believes that Bharata Chakravarti had flawless samyaktva. This is why, he 228

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447