Jain Dharm Darshan Ka Sartattva - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Jain Dharm Darshan ka Sartattva" by Sagarmal Jain, based on the provided PDF excerpt:

Core Tenets of Jain Philosophy: A Summary

This document, an excerpt from "Jain Dharm Darshan ka Sartattva" by Prof. Sagarmal Jain, explores the foundational principles and historical development of Jainism, emphasizing its philosophical essence and the path to liberation.

Origins and Development of Jainism:

Definition: Jainism is the religion propagated by the "Jinas," those who have conquered their senses, desires, and passions. It is also known by ancient names like Nirgrantha Dharma (meaning free from inner knots of deceit, attachment, aversion, ego, greed, and external possessions) and Arhat Dharma (meaning one who has conquered attachment and aversion and is revered for spiritual purity).
Contrast with Vedic Dharma: While Vedic Dharma focused on rituals and karma, Jainism (as part of the Shraman tradition) emphasizes tapas (austerity), tyaga (renunciation), and vairagya (detachment). It is therefore called a Nivritti Moolak Dharma (religion of withdrawal) aiming for liberation from worldly suffering.
Human Nature and Renunciation: The text identifies two key human elements: vasana (desire/passion), which drives towards material gratification, and vivek (discretion/wisdom), which recognizes the infinitude of desires and the necessity of restraint for peace. The core of Jainism stems from this wisdom, advocating for the sanyam (control) of desires.
Ancient Roots: Jainism is considered an ancient religion, with its first proponent in this era being Lord Rishabhadeva. His mention in the Rigveda and Puranic literature supports its antiquity. Lord Rishabhadeva is credited with establishing societal and governmental structures when human population growth led to resource scarcity and conflict. He taught self-sufficiency through labor but later recognized that material abundance couldn't quell human desires. He then embraced and taught the path of renunciation and detachment.
The Tirthankaras: Following Rishabhadeva, 23 other Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers) emerged, including Arishtanemi (22nd), Parshvanatha (23rd), and Mahavira (24th).
- Arishtanemi, Krishna's cousin, emphasized ahimsa (non-violence). Hearing the cries of animals intended for a wedding feast, he renounced worldly life and preached that ahimsa, sanyam, and tapas are the highest auspicious principles.
- Parshvanatha opposed self-mortification and external rituals in tapas. He advocated for discriminating, non-violent tapas for self-purification, not for ego gratification or material gain.
- Mahavira stressed sense control, chastity (brahmacharya), and non-possession (aparigraha). He added chastity to the four vows of his predecessors, establishing the five great vows: ahimsa, satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya, and aparigraha. He placed paramount importance on purity of conduct and behavior, stating that achar (conduct) is the primary dharma.

Suffering and Liberation:

The Nature of Suffering: A central theme in Mahavira's teachings is the inherent suffering in worldly existence (janma dukhkam, jara dukhkam, roga y maranani y). What is perceived as pleasure (like scratching an itch) is ultimately suffering. Both the rich and the poor, the ruler and the ruled, experience suffering.
Causes of Suffering: Suffering is categorized into physical (from natural calamities) and mental (from human desires and cravings). Mahavira identified attachment to worldly pleasures (bhogaasakti) as the root cause of all suffering. Attempting to satisfy desires without addressing the underlying cause (which is internal, not external) is futile, akin to trying to extinguish a fire with ghee.
The Path to Liberation: The solution lies not in fulfilling desires but in sanyam (restraint) and nirankshata (desirelessness). The pursuit of material pleasures leads to greed, theft, exploitation, and social inequality. The text emphasizes turning inwards (aatmonmukh), rather than seeking external fulfillment, as true freedom and peace come from self-reliance (aatmapekshi), not dependence (parapekshi). Detachment (nirmamata) from all worldly possessions and achievements is the sole means to liberation. Attachment creates duality ("self" and "other"), leading to raag (attachment) and dwesha (aversion), which are the sources of inner conflict and suffering. Overcoming raag-dwesha is essential for right living.

Bondage and Liberation of the Soul:

Karma and Bondage: Jainism explains bondage through the concept of karma. Actions performed under the influence of passions (kashayas) like anger, pride, deceit, and greed attract karmic particles (karma parmanu), a process called asrava. This leads to the formation of karma sanskaras (imprints), which ripen over time and produce results, perpetuating the cycle of birth and death.
The Eight Karmas: These karmic imprints obscure the soul's innate infinite knowledge, perception, happiness, and power. They are categorized into:
1. Jnanavarana: Obscures knowledge.
2. Darshanavarana: Obscures perception.
3. Vedaniya: Causes feelings of pleasure and pain.
4. Mohaniya: Distorts perspective and character.
5. Namakarma: Determines physical and mental constitution.
6. Gotrakarma: Influences social environment.
7. Ayushyakarma: Determines lifespan.
8. Antaraya: Obstructs achievements.
Samvara and Nirjara: To break free from this karmic bondage, Jainism prescribes two processes:
- Samvara (Restraint): Closing the "windows" of the senses to prevent the inflow of new karmic particles. This involves sense control, where the mind remains detached from sensory experiences, free from raag-dwesha.
- Nirjara (Austerity/Expiation): Shedding accumulated karmic imprints. This is achieved through tapasya (austerity), which involves detaching from the body and worldly attachments, not self-punishment. Tapasya purifies the soul and destroys karmic debts accumulated over countless lifetimes.

The Nature of the Soul and the Ultimate Goal:

Attainment of Liberation (Moksha): When the soul, through tapasya, becomes free from attachments and karmic impurities, its infinite qualities (knowledge, perception, etc.) are revealed. This state of absolute purity, freedom from all obscurations, and realization of one's true self is Moksha (Liberation) or Nirvana. This is also known as attaining the Paramatma (Supreme Soul) state.
States of the Soul: The soul progresses through three states:
1. Bahiratma: The outward-focused soul engrossed in worldly pleasures.
2. Antaratma: The inward-focused aspirant who is detached from worldly pleasures.
3. Paramatma: The liberated soul, free from desires, possessing infinite qualities, and existing as a knower and perceiver.
The Identity of Soul and Supreme Soul: The fundamental principle is "Appa so Paramappa" – the soul is the Supreme Soul. The soul's divine nature is obscured by the "fog" of delusion (moh) and attachment (mamata), similar to how sunlight is hidden by clouds. The soul's inherent bliss is hidden by the veil of moh, mamata, raag, and dwesha.
The Path is Removal, Not Attainment: The goal is not to find God, but to remove the veils of attachment and delusion that hide our inherent divine nature. The error lies in seeking to attain something already present rather than removing the obstacles to its realization.
Devotion and Self-Effort: Jainism views devotion (bhakti) not as petitioning a savior, but as a means to awaken one's inner consciousness and to visualize the ideal of liberation. The emphasis is on self-effort. Praying for liberation without personal effort is considered futile and fosters dependence. True spiritual upliftment is achieved through one's own endeavors.

The Threefold Path to Liberation (Trividha Sadhana Marg):

Jainism prescribes a three-pronged path to liberation:

Samyak Darshan (Right Faith/Perception): This encompasses self-realization, faith in truth, insight, and devotion. It involves accepting fundamental truths about the soul. Its five characteristics are: sama (equanimity), samvega (longing for the soul's blissful nature), nirveda (detachment), anukampa (compassion), and astitvya (belief in karma, rebirth, etc.). It is based on the acceptance of six fundamental principles: the existence of the soul, its eternality, its role as the doer of its actions, its role as the enjoyer of the fruits of its actions, its capacity for liberation, and the existence of a path to liberation.
Samyak Gyan (Right Knowledge): This is the knowledge of reality in its infinite aspects. One-sided or dogmatic knowledge is considered false (mithyatva). Jainism advocates for an anekanta (multi-faceted) perspective, which requires abandoning rigid viewpoints (ekant) and developing a non-dogmatic approach to understand truth from all angles. It also involves the discrimination between the self (Atma) and the non-self (Anatma), known as bhed vigyan.
Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct): This has two aspects:
- Vyavahar Charitra (External Conduct): Adherence to external rules and observances, such as the vows for monks and householders.
- Nishchay Charitra (Inner Conduct): The internal attitude of equanimity and self-absorption (atma-ramana). This is the fundamental basis for spiritual development and arises in a state of intense mindfulness (apramatta). True moral and religious life emerges when passions like raag-dwesha are extinguished.

Central Pillars of Jainism: Ahimsa, Anagrah, and Aparigrah:

These three principles form the core of Jain ethics and practice:

Ahimsa (Non-Violence): The lifeblood of Jain ethics, it means not causing harm, suffering, or distress to any living being in thought, word, or deed. It is based on the psychological understanding of life's inherent desire to live and the universal preference for pleasure over pain. Ahimsa is the respect for the right to life and is rooted in the principle of seeing all beings as oneself (atmavat drishti).
Anagrah (Non-Attachment to Views) / Anekanta (Non-Absolutism): This is the intellectual counterpart to Ahimsa, representing ideological non-violence. It advocates for respecting the views of others and recognizing that truth is multi-faceted. It dispels the illusion that truth is solely possessed by oneself. Anagrah promotes intellectual tolerance and prevents the conflict and animosity arising from partisan adherence to one's own opinions.
Aparigrah (Non-Possession/Non-Attachment): This principle addresses the outward manifestations of attachment: collection (sangraha-bhavana) and enjoyment (bhoga-bhavana). To curb these, Jainism prescribes the vows of asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity), and aparigrah. Collection is seen as social violence, as it often involves the exploitation or infringement of others' rights. Therefore, limiting external possessions (bahya-parigraha) is essential to cultivate inner detachment.

The essence of Jainism is summarized in the verse: "Syadvado vartate'smin pakshapato na vidyate, Nastyanyam pidanam kinchit Jainadharmah sa uchyate." This means that Jainism is that which has syadvada (the doctrine of possibility/relativism), is free from partisanship, and causes no harm to others.

The text concludes with a prayer for inner qualities: maitri (friendship towards all beings), pramoda (joy in the virtues of others), kripa (compassion for the suffering), and madhyasthabhav (equanimity towards adversaries).