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Spiritual Enlightenment
something essentially divine. 'Mystical states of mind in every degree,' William James says, 'are shown by history usually though not always, to make for the monistic view.' Thus mysticism has a great fancy for monistic temperament; and in Vedanta it is seen at its best in the conception of All-in-all Brahman, who represents an immanent divinity. Spiritual mysticism of Jnanadeva, however, reconciles both monism and pluralism by preserving 'both the oneness and manyness of experience.' The Jaina mysticism turns round two concepts: Atman and Paramatman, which we have studied above. It is seen that Paramatman stands for God, though never a creator, etc. The creative aspect of the divinity, I think, is not the sine qua non of mysticism. Atman and Paramatman are essentially the same, but in Samsara the Atman is under Karmic limitations, and therefore he is not as yet evolved into Paramatman. It is for the mystic to realize this identity or unity by destroying the Karmic encrustation of the spirit. In Jainism the conception of Paramatman is somewhat nearer to that of a personal absolute. The Atman himself becomes Paramatman, and not that he is submerged in the Universal as in Vedanta. In Jainism spiritual experience does not stand for a divided self achieving an absolute unification, but the bound individual expresses and exhibits his potential divinity. Early texts like Kammapayadi, Kashaya — and Kamma-pahuda, Gommatasara, etc., (with their commentaries) give elaborate tables with minute details how the soul, following the religious path, goes higher and higher on the rungs of the spiritual ladder called Gunasthanas, and how from stage to stage the various Karmas are being destroyed. The space does not permit me to give the details here, but I might only note here that the whole course is minutely studied and recorded with marvellous calculations that often baffle our understanding. Some of the Gunasthanas are merely meditational stages, and the subject of meditation too is described in details. The aspirant is warned not to be misled by certain Siddhis, i.e. miraculous attainments, but go on pursuing the ideal till Atman is realized. The pessimistic outlook of life, downright denunciation of the body
