Faith Knowledge And Conduct

Here's a comprehensive summary of Champat Rai Jain's "Faith, Knowledge & Conduct," based on the provided text:

Overall Purpose and Title:

The book, titled "Faith, Knowledge & Conduct," is presented as a systematic exposition of Salvation from the Jaina perspective. The author, Champat Rai Jain, states that the "proper title" is "The Way, The Truth and The Life," reflecting its alignment with comparative religion and the Jaina teachings. He emphasizes that the substance comes from Jaina teachings, with his own elaborations. The book aims to provide an intelligible and concise explanation, avoiding excessive technicalities.

Structure of the Book:

The book is divided into three main parts:

• Book I: The Way
• Book II: The Truth (further divided into Part I: Method of Investigation and Part II: Metaphysics and Psychology)
• Book III: The Life

Key Concepts and Themes:

Book I: The Way (Right Faith)

Right Faith is defined as a comprehensive understanding of essentials, built upon knowledge. It encompasses belief in:

• The Divinity of the Lord Arhant (Tirthamkara): Recognizing the perfected state of the founder of Jainism.
• The Scripture of Truth: The word of the Tirthamkara.
• The Preceptorship of Saints: The guidance of possessionless Jaina saints dedicated to eradicating their lower nature.
• The Potential Divinity of the Soul: The inherent possibility for every soul to attain perfection by following the path of the Jinas (Conquerors).
• The Seven Great Tattvas (Essentials of Knowledge): Principles that lead to perfection and Godhood.
• The Triple Jewel: Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct, which, combined, lead to the soul's perfection.
• The Community of the Faithful: The four classes of pious souls (Saints, Nuns, Householders, and Lay Female Followers).
• The Two-fold Path: The advanced/austere path for saints and the preliminary/qualified path for virtuous laypeople.
• Rules of Conduct: The five Great Vows (non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, non-possession), five kinds of vigilance, and three controls (mind, speech, body) for saints, and twelve vows and Sallekhana (death-bed vow) for the laity.

Book II: The Truth

This section delves into the methods of investigation and the underlying principles of reality.

Part I: The Method of Investigation

• Nikshepa: A system of naming objects for ease of communication, categorized into:
  • Nāma Nikshepa: Naming at random.
  • Sthāpanā Nikshepa: Naming based on attributes (real or imaginary).
  • Dravya Nikshepa: Naming based on potentiality.
  • Bhāva Nikshepa: Naming based on occupation or calling. Understanding these helps avoid confusion in communication.
• Classification: A scientific classification requires distinguishing marks that are present in all members of a class, absent outside the class, and not impossible.
• Nayavāda: The doctrine of manifoldness of aspects. It recognizes that things can be described from various viewpoints, and that speech, dealing with single features, needs to account for these. Seven special aspects (nayavādas) are outlined, highlighting how misinterpretations arise when the specific viewpoint is ignored.
• Anekāntavāda: The principle of many-sidedness. It emphasizes the need to study objects from all aspects to achieve complete and accurate knowledge, avoiding one-sided conclusions.
• Syādvāda: The doctrine of "perhaps" or "from a particular point of view." This is a logical framework that reconciles seemingly contradictory statements by prefacing them with "syat" (perhaps). It acknowledges that a statement may be true from one perspective but not another, preventing absolutist thinking. The "sapta-bhangi" (seven-fold) system of predication is central here.
• Logic: The book distinguishes between logic based on possibility, probability, and certainty. Certainty is achieved through deductive logic, which relies on fixed, unalterable rules (laws of nature or established conventions). The Jaina approach is presented as a practical logic for the busy person, focusing on identifying these foundational rules.
• The Categories: Four principal categories are identified:
  • Dravya (Substance): Own substance or foreign substance, including quality and form.
  • Kshetra (Place): Locality, extent, and position.
  • Kāla (Time): Duration and the cause of continuity of function.
  • Bhāva (Internal States): Feelings and relationships with others.
• Division: Scientific division is exhaustive and leaves no remainder, unlike unscientific divisions which are incomplete.

Part II: Metaphysics and Psychology

• Metaphysics: The world is composed of Conscious (Spirit/Soul) and Unconscious substances (Space, Time, two kinds of Ether, Matter).
  • Space: An extended continuous vacuum, a substance itself.
  • Time: Both a measure of duration and a cause of continuity of function, existing as revolving pins.
  • Ethers: One for motion, one for rest.
  • Matter: Perceived by senses, with qualities like color, taste, odor, touch, and sound. Substances are eternal and bundles of qualities. The world has no beginning.
• Psychology: Explores the nature of the soul and its functions.
  • The Soul: A simple, partless, indestructible, and therefore eternal substance. It is the subject of perception, inference, and abstract thought.
  • The Nature of Knowledge: Perception is a psychic response to material stimuli, not a reflection. Knowledge inheres in the soul as partless ideas.
  • Omniscience: The soul has infinite knowledge potentially, as its consciousness is infinite. It can know all things past, present, and future.
  • Soul as Intelligent Substance: The soul and knowledge are synonymous; the soul is by nature intelligent. All living beings have consciousness, with higher forms having understanding and appreciation.
  • Jnānāvaraṇīya Cover: A substantial veil of subtle matter that obscures the soul's infinite knowledge. Its thickness varies, affecting the extent of knowledge accessible.
  • The Will: The element of activity driven by desire. It is constituted by conscious and subconscious desires.
  • Passions: Developed from desires, they include greed, anger, deceit, and pride, existing in varying degrees of intensity and interfering with mental clarity.
  • Intellect: The thoughtful aspect of the soul, inseparable from the will. It is clouded by passions and bias.
  • Attention: The instrument of conscious inquiry, directing the mind to objects. It carries stimuli to the soul and is driven by predominant impulses.
  • Instincts: Basic drives like life, food, sex, and possession, which can be trained or eradicated.
  • The Subconscious: Contains dormant ideas and impulses, lying deep within the being.
  • The Central Organ of the Mind: The headquarters of intellectual activity, connected to senses and motor nerves for coordinating thought and action.
  • The Lotus of the Heart: The spiritual headquarters of the soul, the seat of passions and emotions.
  • Memory and Recollection: Formed by complex groupings of nerve terminals, allowing for recall of experiences. Recollection is a second cognition, triggered by internal stimuli.
  • Association of Ideas: Ideas, though simple in their substantive basis, can form complex associations through neural pathways.
  • Dreams and Visions: Explained as products of stimuli and mental impulses, often representing repressed wishes or moral cravings.
  • Recognition: A second cognition, either by similarity or contiguity, leading to a sense of familiarity.
  • A Train of Thought: A series of mental states driven by mental impulses.
  • Inhibition: Attention's ability to focus or withdraw, controlling mental processes and impulses.
  • Motor Mechanisms: The levers of voluntary motion controlled by the central organ of the mind, linking will to bodily action.
  • Pleasure and Pain: Physical, mental, and spiritual (joy as freedom). Spiritual joy is independent of senses and arises from the removal of burdens.
  • Varieties of Sensation: Classified as definite and indefinite, experienced through various senses.
  • Material Parallelism: The necessary co-existence of spirit and matter for functioning, though matter can be separated from spirit through self-control.
  • Ethics: Virtue is its own reward. Goodness is achieved by ceasing to be wicked.
  • The Organizing Forces of the Body: Impulses, rooted in the immortal soul, shape the bodily limbs and organs during development.
  • Lesiyās: Six types of "soul-paints" or auras representing different internal vibrations and determining future rebirths, ranging from black (worst) to white (best).

Book III: The Life (Right Conduct)

• Faith as the Basis of Conduct: False faiths strengthen impulses centered on the physical self. True faith is centered on the soul's divinity and rejects external protectors.
• The Aim of Right Life: The separation of Spirit from matter by destroying all impulses (good and bad).
• The Path of Progress: Divided into preliminary (less irksome, for householders) and advanced (austere, for saints).
• Householder's Vows: Twelve vows, including Ahimsa, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, renunciation, limiting activity, refraining from purposeless evil, limiting enjoyment, further restricting activity, meditation, fasting, and service/giving.
• Saint's Conduct: Absolute severity in the householder's vows, plus five kinds of vigilance (avoiding harm to life in all actions) and three kinds of control (mind, speech, body).
• The Ultimate Goal: Complete eradication of impulses leads to Nirvāṇa, a state of pure, undefiled spirit, free from matter, impulses, and lesiyās, existing as Pure Light.
• Virtue and Vice: Both continue the cycle of bondage, but virtue leads to better conditions. Transcending virtue means doing neither good nor evil, focusing only on imparting truth.
• Personal Responsibility: Individuals are the authors of their own well-being or undoing. Fear of external forces is unjustified.
• The Ideal: The ideal is the soul's own divinity, leading to perfect knowledge, happiness, and immortality.

In essence, "Faith, Knowledge & Conduct" presents a Jaina philosophical framework for understanding reality and achieving spiritual liberation. It emphasizes the inherent divinity of the soul, the importance of right understanding (faith and knowledge), and the necessity of disciplined action (conduct) to overcome material bondage and attain ultimate freedom.