Nature Of Salvation

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Nature of Salvation" by Hemant Shah, based on the provided PDF excerpt:

The book "Nature of Salvation" by Hemant Shah, presented as part of "Gems of Jainism," explores the Jain perspective on liberation, or Moksha. It establishes Jainism as an ancient and significant school of Indian philosophy, emphasizing the fundamental human longing for freedom as the driving force behind the concept of religion and, consequently, liberation.

Key Jain Principles and the Concept of Soul:

• Soul (Jiva): Jainism centers on the belief in the existence of the soul (Jiva) as a substance with consciousness as its differentiating characteristic. The soul is not limited to humans but extends to all living beings.
• Pluralism: Jainism upholds a pluralistic view, asserting the existence of infinite souls.
• Bondage (Bandh): An embodied soul (Jiva) is considered to be in bondage. This bondage is not eternal but is caused by Karma.
• Karma: Karma is identified as the direct cause of bondage. The soul's original pure qualities are obscured and its powers hindered by the accumulation of karmic matter.
• Liberation (Moksha): Total annihilation of Karma leads to complete freedom from bondage. A soul thus liberated is considered to possess infinite bliss, power, and knowledge, becoming a Siddha, or a divine being.

The Jain Philosophy of Soul:

The text delves into the nature of the soul, contrasting it with the material world (Ajiva). The soul is described as:

• Eternal and Indestructible: Existing since beginningless time, the soul is immortal.
• Conscious: Consciousness is its inherent essence, allowing for knowledge and discrimination.
• Immaterial: Lacking physical attributes like touch, taste, smell, or color.
• The Doer and Enjoyer: Responsible for its actions and their consequences.
• Fitting the Body: While immaterial, it assumes a body to fit its current form.
• Potentially Omniscient and Omnipotent: In its pure state, the soul possesses infinite qualities, including omniscience (Keval Jnana), absolute perception (Keval Darshan), unrestricted energy (Virya), and infinite bliss (Ananta Sukh). These are collectively known as the "Four Infinites" (Ananta Catustaya).

The State of Bondage:

The soul in bondage is characterized by its embodiment and its entrapment in the cycle of birth and death (Samsara). This state is:

• Impure and Polluted: Due to karmic influence.
• Mortal and Ineffective: Compared to its liberated state.
• Chained: Not free.

The five primary causes of bondage are identified as:

1. Mithyātva (Subreption/Unbelief): False knowledge or wrong perception.
2. Avirati (Non-observation of Vows): Lack of self-control and adherence to ethical principles.
3. Pramāda (Idleness/Inactiveness): Negligence and carelessness.
4. Kasāya (Passions): Anger, pride, deceit, and greed.
5. Yoga (Activities): Involvements and actions that attract karma.

The Path to Liberation and the Nature of Salvation:

Jainism, like other Indian philosophical schools, views liberation as the ultimate goal of life. The bondage is ultimately traced back to ignorance or nescience. The path to liberation involves transcending ignorance, moving from darkness to light, and from mortality to immortality.

• Knowledge as the Means: While all schools agree that knowledge is key, they differ on the type of knowledge leading to liberation. Jainism emphasizes Absolute Knowledge (Keval Jnana).
• Annihilation of Karma: Liberation is achieved through the complete annihilation of karma. This is accomplished through a two-pronged approach:
  1. Preventing New Karma: By not allowing new karmic matter to pollute the soul.
  2. Shedding Existing Karma (Nirjara): Through penance (tapa) and meditation (dhyāna).
• Regaining Lost Purity: Moksha is not about creating something new but about regaining the soul's inherent, lost purity. It's a process of "self-finding" and recovering the obscured consciousness.
• The Gunasthanas (Stages of Spiritual Development): Jainism outlines fourteen stages of spiritual progress, the Gunasthanas, which mark the gradual subsidence of karmas and the manifestation of the soul's innate faculties. These stages progress from the state of an unbeliever (Mithyadrsti) to the omniscient state without any activity (Ayogi Kevalin), which is immediately antecedent to disembodied liberation.

The State of the Liberated Soul:

The liberated soul (Siddha Jiva) is:

• Deity-like: Possessing infinite knowledge, perception, energy, and bliss.
• Formless and Bodiless: Ascending to the summit of the world (Siddhashila).
• Identical and Undifferentiated: Yet distinguishable by their past actions.
• Eternal Enjoyers of Bliss: Experiencing infinite, incomparable, indestructible, and supernatural happiness.

Conclusion:

The text concludes by reiterating Jainism's core philosophical positions: the existence of the soul, its inherent purity, the theory of soul pluralism, and the concept of liberation through the annihilation of karma. Jainism offers an optimistic outlook, believing that the soul's original perfections can be regained. The path to this perfection is through Right Perception, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct, the "Three Jewels" of Jainism. The book emphasizes that each soul, when free from karmic influences, becomes divine and self-realized.