Spiritual Awakening and other Essays

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 88

THE CONCEPT OF AŅUVRATAS IN JAINISM
Jainism recognizes Moksa as the consummation of human pursuits. Moksa presupposes a way of life, just as the end presupposes the means. The celebrated book Tattvārthasūtra of Umāsvāti, generally recognized as the compendium of Jaina thought, in the first Sūtra of the opening chapter pronounces that right belief (spiritual awakening), right knowledge (value knowledge) and right condụct (ethico-spiritual conduct) constitute the path to liberation. This Sūtra summarises the end as well as the means of its achievement. Right belief is spiritual awakening, right knowledge is value awakening and right conduct is ethico-spiritual endeavour to achieve the goal. Thus right conduct which is preceded by right knowledge and right belief signifies that moral life without spiritual awakening, cannot lead us to liberation. In other words, spiritualization of moral life must take place if Moksa is to be attained. This statement, of course, does not deny that moral life is not possible without spiritual awakening, it simply entails that for the accomplishment of Mokṣa moral life must have a stamp of spiritual awakening. It is of capital importance to note that at no stage of the process of the Moksa these three integral principles styled as Ratnatraya can be dispensed with. We are not concerned here with the right belief (spiritual awakening) and right knowledge (value knowledge) but only with the one aspect of right conduct (ethico-spiritual conduct).
It is to be borne in mind that inauspicious activities emanating from the inauspicious psychical states can in no