Jain Dharm Me Mukti Ki Avadharna

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, focusing on the concept of Moksha (liberation) as presented in the book "Jain Dharm me Mukti ki Avadharna" by Sagarmal Jain:

Book Title: Jain Dharm me Mukti ki Avadharna (The Concept of Liberation in Jainism) Author: Sagarmal Jain Publisher: Z_Shwetambar_Sthanakvasi_Jain_Sabha_Hirak_Jayanti_Granth_012052.pdf Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/211023/1

Summary:

The book "Jain Dharm me Mukti ki Avadharna" by Sagarmal Jain delves into the concept of Moksha (liberation) within Jain philosophy, offering a comparative study with other Indian philosophical traditions.

Core Jain Understanding of Moksha:

• Definition: Moksha is defined as the state of the soul (Atma) being free from karma. This is achieved through Samvara (prevention of new karma from entering the soul) and Nirjara (shedding of accumulated past karma).
• Pure State: In this state, the soul is devoid of karmic impurities and the coverings or bindings they create. It is the soul's pure, inherent nature.
• Absence of "Mine-ness": Liberation is also understood as the eradication of attachment and identification with "non-self" (par dravya), meaning the sense of "I am this" or "this is mine" in external objects.
• Two Perspectives:
  • Paryaya Drishti (Perspective of Modifications): From this viewpoint, bondage (bandhana) is the soul's distorted modifications (virupa paryaya) caused by external matter (pudgal) and karmic particles. Liberation (mukti) is the soul's natural modifications (svarupa paryaya). Bondage and liberation are simply two states of the same soul-substance, akin to gold being a ring or a crown.
  • Tattva Drishti (Perspective of Substance): From a purely substantial perspective, the soul is eternally liberated because the soul-substance itself never truly abandons its own nature to become something else. However, when considering the soul's modifications, the possibility of bondage and liberation becomes apparent. Moksha itself is considered a "tattva" (principle), but in essence, it is the absence of bondage.

Three Approaches to Understanding Moksha in Jain Agamas:

1. Bhavatmak Drishtikon (Affective/Positive Perspective):

   • Moksha is described as an unimpeded state where the soul's inherent qualities are fully manifest due to the absence of hindrances.
   • Acharya Kundakunda describes the liberated soul as pure, possessing the Infinite Quads (Ananta Chatushtaya): infinite knowledge (Kevala Jnana), infinite perception (Kevala Darshana), infinite bliss (Ananta Sukha), and infinite power (Ananta Virya).
   • Other positive attributes mentioned include existence, completeness, indestructibility, unimpededness, supra-sensory experience, eternity, and immovability.
   • This view contrasts with other Indian philosophies: Vedanta rejects "sapra-deshta" (locality), Sankhya rejects bliss and power, Nyaya-Vaisheshika rejects knowledge and perception, Buddhist Shunyata rejects existence, and Charvaka dismisses the concept of liberation altogether.
   • The Infinite Quads are considered inherent in all souls, manifesting fully in Moksha when karmic obstructions are removed.
   • Eight Qualities based on Karma Destruction: The text elaborates on eight qualities of the liberated soul based on the destruction of eight types of karma:
     1. Knowledge-obscuring karma removal leads to infinite knowledge.
     2. Perception-obscuring karma removal leads to infinite perception.
     3. Feeling-producing karma removal leads to pure, eternal spiritual bliss.
     4. Delusion-producing karma removal leads to true perception and conduct (though in Moksha, it's primarily perception, not active conduct).
     5. Lifespan-determining karma removal leads to being incorporeal and beyond sensory perception.
     6. Name-karma removal leads to the quality of being "Agurulaghutva" (neither heavy nor light, implying equality among liberated souls).
     7. Status-determining karma removal (Gotra karma) leads to freedom from social hierarchy.
     8. Obstruction-causing karma removal leads to infinite power.
   • However, the text emphasizes that this eight-quality description is a practical conceptualization for understanding, not the ultimate definition of the soul's true nature, which remains indescribable.

2. Abhavatmak Drishtikon (Negative/Anegative Perspective):

   • Jain Agamas also describe Moksha through negation. The Acharya Acharanga Sutra describes the liberated soul by what it is not.
   • The liberated soul is not long, short, round, triangular, etc. It lacks color, smell, taste, and touch, making it imperceptible to the senses. It is not male, female, or neuter.
   • Acharya Kundakunda's Niyamsara similarly describes Moksha as the absence of pleasure, pain, suffering, obstacles, birth, death, senses, illusions, sleep, worry, or even auspicious or inauspicious thoughts. It is beyond intellect and contemplation.
   • This negative description serves to highlight the indescribability of Moksha.

3. Anirvachaniya Drishtikon (Indescribable Perspective):

   • The ultimate reality of Moksha, when considered from a transcendental viewpoint, is deemed indescribable (Anirvachaniya).
   • The Acharanga Sutra states that all words return without describing it; speech is mute, and intellect is incapable of grasping it. It cannot be described by analogy.
   • This indescribability arises from the soul's pure essence being beyond conceptualization and dualities.

Comparative Analysis with Buddhist Nirvana:

The text then undertakes a significant comparative study with the Buddhist concept of Nirvana:

• Controversy in Buddhism: Nirvana is a subject of much debate within Buddhist schools and among scholars, with conflicting interpretations ranging from negative to positive to indescribable.
• Vibhajavada (Vaibhashika) School: Nirvana is seen as the absence of conditioned phenomena (samskaras). These phenomena are inherently impermanent, causing bondage and suffering. Nirvana, being the cessation of suffering and bondage, is an unconditioned dharma with a positive existence. It is described as eternal, unconditioned, independent, and a distinct reality. While the absence of "samskaras" is mentioned, it's not equated with non-existence but rather a positive state. Debates exist on whether consciousness persists, with some interpretations suggesting a pure consciousness remains. This viewpoint is seen as closer to Jainism in accepting both existence and consciousness.
• Sautrantika School: While agreeing that Nirvana is the absence of samskaras, Sautrantikas reject the idea of an unconditioned dharma having a positive existence. They believe impermanence is the true nature of reality. Therefore, they deny an eternal, unconditioned element in Nirvana, seeing it as the cessation of the life process. Nothing remains beyond this cessation. Thus, for them, Nirvana is primarily a negative state.
• Yogachara (Vijnanavada) School: Nirvana is described as the cessation of the seven consciousnesses or the cessation of mental activities. It is the destruction of defilements and ignorance. While some interpretations lean towards negation, others, particularly with concepts like "Alaya-vijnana" (storehouse consciousness), suggest a more positive or even an indescribable state. The text notes the development of the indescribable nature of Nirvana is significantly attributed to Vijnanavada and Shunyata.
• Shunyata (Madhyamaka) School: This school develops the concept of an indescribable Nirvana to its fullest extent. Nirvana is beyond conceptuality, neither existence nor non-existence. It is the cessation of all conceptualization. The text argues that describing Nirvana as negative is a simplification. It is beyond dualities. The analogy of sparks flying from a hammer strike and disappearing is used, but the text argues this doesn't imply absolute non-existence but rather a mysterious state. The Jain perspective is that while Nirvana is indescribable, it is not the absence of existence but rather the absence of attachment and ego ("mine-ness").
• Jain-Buddhist Similarities:
  • Nirvana is not the absence of consciousness but a state of pure consciousness.
  • It is the cessation of all mental formations and conceptualizations, a state of unperturbed consciousness.
  • A stream of consciousness continues to flow (inherent dynamism of the soul).
  • Nirvana is a state of omniscient knowledge.
  • The Mahayana Dharmakaya and Yogachara's Alaya-vijnana are seen as analogous to the Jain concept of the soul's natural, inherent state.
• Jain-Buddhist Differences: The Sautrantika view of Nirvana as purely negative is seen as contrary to Jain thought. While both traditions use negative language to describe the indescribable, Jainism emphasizes the positive reality of the soul's inherent nature, which is masked by karma, rather than a fundamental emptiness. The Jain understanding of "Anatman" (non-self) is about the absence of ego or possessiveness in the world, not the absence of the self (Atman) itself.

The Question of Female, Garmented, and Other-Religious Liberation:

The latter part of the text touches upon specific and distinct doctrines within Jainism, particularly differentiating the Yapania tradition:

• Female Liberation (Stri Mukti): While the concept of female liberation exists in earlier Jain texts (like Uttaradhyayana Sutra, Jnātādharmakathan, and in the commentaries like Āvashyakachūrṇi), the explicit negation of it seems to have arisen in the 5th-6th century CE in South India, coinciding with the presence of the Yapania sect. The Yapania tradition, which supported female liberation, was thus prompted to respond to this negation.
• Garmented Liberation (Sagratha Mukti/Grihasta Mukti): The concept of liberation for householders (those not practicing nudity) is also discussed.
• Other-Religious Liberation (Anyatairthika Mukti): Liberation for those following other paths or wearing different symbols.
• Yapania Influence: The Yapania sect supported female liberation, garmented liberation, and liberation for those of other faiths. This placed them closer to the Shvetambara tradition.
• Kundakunda's Negation: Acharya Kundakunda is identified as one of the first to explicitly negate female liberation in his Sutrapahuda. Despite the Yapania tradition being contemporary with Sutrapahuda and acknowledging texts like Shatkhandagama (which doesn't negate female liberation), the Yapania tradition's support for these concepts is highlighted.

In essence, Sagarmal Jain's work provides a detailed exploration of Moksha in Jainism, highlighting its multifaceted nature through positive, negative, and indescribable perspectives, and then contrasts it with the Buddhist understanding of Nirvana, revealing both significant overlaps and crucial distinctions. The text also briefly touches upon historical debates regarding liberation for different categories of beings and practitioners within Jainism.