Aatmagyan Kitna Saccha Kitna Zutha

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Aatmagyan: Kitna Saccha Kitna Jhutha" by Muni Shri Nemichandraji, based on the provided pages:

The article, "Aatmagyan: Kitna Saccha Kitna Jhutha" (Self-Knowledge: How True, How False?), by Muni Shri Nemichandraji, critically examines the prevalent understanding and practice of self-knowledge in the current era. The author begins by acknowledging humanity's advancements in science and knowledge, noting how individuals diligently study history, geography, astronomy, anthropology, and psychology to understand the external world. However, he points out the paradox that despite knowing so much about the external world, humans often fail to know themselves, their relationships with other beings, or even desire to know.

The Problem of Misidentification and Superficial Spirituality:

Muni Nemichandraji highlights the common misidentifications of the self. People identify themselves as:

• Physical bodies: "I am a lump of clay," "the body is everything."
• Mind or intellect: "I am the mind or brain."
• Soul integrated with the body: Based on scriptures, "I am the soul joined with the body."
• Social identities: "I am Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Vaishnav," or "Indian, Pakistani, American, English, German."

This widespread ignorance and false belief lead to conflicts based on color, nationality, language, or religion. Even those who profess belief in the soul often act as if the body and its actions are all that exist. They are engrossed in worldly activities and the fluctuations of the body and mind, seeing them as mere "play." Consequently, despite outwardly claiming to be spiritual or to understand the soul, their actions, interactions, and daily lives reveal a deep attachment to the physical body and its desires.

Critique of False Spiritualists:

The author then turns his attention to those who claim to possess spiritual knowledge. He argues that their spirituality is often merely superficial, learned by rote ("pothi ka baingan" - a metaphor for theoretical knowledge without practical application), or a subject of endless, unproductive debate. True spiritualists, he contends, would not exhibit such superficiality. Their practical dealings, daily routines, business practices, and interactions within family, society, or religious organizations lack any genuine sense of self or spiritual behavior. They mistakenly believe that the soul is something to be merely spoken of, recited, or displayed, with no practical use in daily life. They see the soul as relevant only in a theoretical sense, disappearing when it comes to practical application.

The Consequences of Misguided Spirituality:

The author poses a series of rhetorical questions to illustrate the disconnect between professed spiritual knowledge and actual behavior:

• Can a person who truly knows and understands the soul engage in hatred, enmity, or conflict based on differences in beliefs, caste, color, region, language, or nationality?
• Can a spiritual person burn or discard scriptures of other faiths due to minor differences in beliefs?
• Can a spiritual leader incite followers to harm or attack members of other sects or religions?
• Can a professed spiritualist forget their true self and become solely engrossed in gratifying the body through food and drink, or developing attachment to physical and non-physical things related to the body?
• Can someone who constantly chants about the soul, while engaging in deceit, fraud, or injustice in their business dealings, claim that the soul has no connection to these actions, attributing them to the body's play?
• Can someone who commits wrongdoings through their senses (eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet) and mind, while claiming to be established in their soul, be considered a true spiritualist?

The True Path: Separation of Soul from Non-Soul (Parabhava):

Muni Nemichandraji asserts that the core issue is not just knowing or believing in the soul, but separating it from the non-soul elements. When one can think of the soul distinctly from the body and its related possessions, they can then discern whether a particular behavior or action pertains to the soul or to external things. He defines all negative emotions and attachments—ignorance, delusion, passion, aversion, lust, anger, ego, pride, hypocrisy, hatred, enmity, conflict, attachment, possessiveness, and craving—as "parabhava" (external influences or non-self elements). Even one's own body, family, caste, or religious sect, when viewed from the perspective of true self-knowledge, become "parabhava" because the soul is inherently separate from them.

The Goal: Equanimity and Detachment, Not Inaction:

The author clarifies that embracing this understanding of the soul does not mean becoming inactive, indifferent, or withdrawn from worldly duties. Instead, it involves uprooting the ingrained sense of "I" and "mine" associated with the body and its related elements. The goal is to achieve equanimity and detachment, preventing attachment and aversion towards any particular being or thing. The ideal spiritualist, whether a householder or a monk, will act within their prescribed limitations, but their actions will be guided by the intention to enhance spiritual qualities, diminish bodily consciousness, and foster detachment. This balanced approach is the true expression of spirituality, the path to happiness and peace, and genuine spiritual union.

The Simple Truth: A Shift in Direction:

Ultimately, the author concludes that truly knowing, believing, and internalizing the soul is not difficult. It requires a simple shift in one's life direction. The focus needs to move away from attachment to material possessions and towards equanimity. The mind, currently overwhelmed by the illusion of self-knowledge and attachment to the external world, needs to be filled with the joy of one's true nature.

Analogy of Falling:

The article ends with an analogy from "Pushkar Vani." Just as a child learning to walk falls multiple times without serious harm or ridicule, an uneducated person making mistakes is less problematic. However, when an educated and supposedly wise person repeatedly falters and errs in life, it becomes dangerous for them and a source of ridicule for society. This emphasizes the greater responsibility that comes with knowledge and the importance of living in accordance with it.