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SANATANA JAINA:
gradual.
the Mahomedan world has one geot, The path to Nirvana is said to be the suphies who in their own way ap. threefold, consisting in right faith, proach these thoughts, and deolare right hnowledge, and right conducb. the highest happiness as consisting Prominent place is here given to faith, in forgetting one's individuality, look reasoned faith however, and not blind: ing on the material world as naught. This faith is to be based ou a prelimi: and meditating on one's self As part nary inquiry into religious truths on of the divine eggenoe. Jainism pashes general principles. This will stimulate these thoughts to their utmost logical & desire for further knowledge, and the conclusions, and builds up & system two will act and react on conduot. The in which no room is left for the week three stages are not meant to be mutu ness of human nature, except in 90 ally exclusive; they overlap each other far that the difficulty of the task is Incrcased knowledge will make faith Tecognised and the process is made more firm, and vice versa. But in the
evolution of the soul, faith will be per It has been pointed out that apart fected first, then knowledge and then from its metaptiysical bearing, Nirvana conduct. is nothing inore nor less than the train. Faith is the first step on the path ing of a cortain type of character, whi. to Nirvan, and it is also the most imob slone, according to Jainism, is con- portant. Once this step is taken, the sistent with perfect happiness, in this others will be taken, sooner or later, 48
de attained, this & matter of course, and the belvation charaoteris retained for ever, brioging of the soul becomes assured. . besides perfect happiness, perfect Right faith, like many other techni knowledge and power as its necessary cal terms in the Jain system, is defin. consequence and condition. The soul ed from two point of view, which may becomes independent of everything be called the theoreticai and the preoutside itself, including the body in ctical. From the first point of view, which it is clothed, and then conti- right faith is belief in the true princinues unchanged, es all elements of ples of the soul's salvation. Seven Tattchange have already been eliminated. was they are called. These are soul, It is notworthy that Jainism does not matter, ingress of Karmas into the recognise any eggential difference bet. Soul, their sticking to the soul, Stoppage ween perfect happiness in this world of the ingress, dispersion of the Karmas and the next; in fact the soul attains sticking to the Soul, and Moksha or perfect happiness in this life, and the Nirvana, that is, final deliverance. future life is simply an endless con- Salvation depends on understanding tinuation of that.
thege seven principles in their true Lét 08 now see how the Jain nature. Shastras give expression to these ideas from the other point of view, that in their own technical language. is, the point of view of the souroo from
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
