________________
CHAPTER SEVEN
those holding an alien view, developing intimacy with those holding an alien view-these five are failures of conduct connected with samyak-darśana. 18.
277
The type of moral devitations on account of which a vrata that has been accepted gets bedimmed and gradually diminishing ultimately perishes are called 'failures of conduct'.
Now samyaktva is the fundamental basis of all code of right conduct, and it is on its purity that the purity of conduct is dependent. Hence the failures of conduct that are likely to disturb the purity of samyaktva are here described by being divided into five classes.
(1) After having adopted the viewpoint of the Jaina scriptures to raise as regards certain subtle or suprasensuous entities which in fact are cognizable only by an omniscient or on the basis of scriptural testimony-doubt as to whether they exist or do not-that is failure of conduct of the form of doubt. In Jaina metaphysics there is full scope for doubt as also for investigation based on it; if nevertheless doubt is here described as a failure of conduct then the intention is to discourage all attempt at applying the criteria of rational viewpoint to matters that lie outside the field of reasoning. Such an attempt results in a situation that the spiritual realizer, having failed to rationally comprehend a field amenable to faith alone, ultimately loses interest even in the field actually amenable to rational comprehension. Hence only that doubt which obstructs the progress of spiritual realization is to be given up as a failure of conduct.
(2) A wish for this-worldly and other-worldly objects-that is called 'longing'. When such a longing begins to take place the spiritual realizer can any time give up his adopted doctrine without having reflected over its merits and defects. Hence it is called a failure of conduct.
(3) Even when there obtains for occasions for a difference of opinion or a difference of view then too not to take a decided stand oneself but to say out of sheer dull-wittedness 'this position
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
