Samayasara

The provided text is the English translation and commentary of the Jain scripture Samayasara by Acarya Kundakundacharya, based on Amṛtacandra's Ātmakhyāti.

Here's a comprehensive summary of the key aspects presented in the text, drawing from the introductory sections, preface, and the initial chapters (though the provided text only covers up to Chapter X, and then jumps to Chapter VIII and a portion of X, it focuses on the foundational philosophical concepts):

Overall Purpose:

• Samayasara (also referred to as Samaya Pāhuda) is a pivotal philosophical work in Jainism. Its central aim is to elucidate the true nature of the Self (Jiva or Atman) from the Jain perspective.
• The text aims to guide individuals towards spiritual liberation (Moksha) by distinguishing the true Self from its empirical manifestations and karmic associations.

Key Figure: Acarya Kundakunda:

• Kundakunda is presented as an unquestioned authority in Jain dogma, particularly revered in South India. His importance is placed next only to Mahāvira and Gautama Ganadhara.
• His works, often in Prakrit (Jains Sauraseni), are significant, with Samayasara being one of his major works, often grouped with Pancastikayasara and Prayacanasara as the "Sara-traya" or "Prabhita-traya."
• The authorship and precise age of Kundakunda are subject to scholarly debate, with traditional accounts placing him in the first century BC/AD, and modern scholars offering various estimations based on comparative literary analysis and historical records.

Core Philosophical Concepts Discussed:

1. The Nature of the Self (Jiva/Atman):

   • Dual Perspective: The text emphasizes the Jain philosophical approach of Naya (viewpoints), particularly the distinction between Vyavahara Naya (practical viewpoint) and Nischaya Naya (real or absolute viewpoint).
   • Vyavahara Naya: From the practical standpoint, the Self is understood in its empirical state, associated with body, senses, emotions, and karmas. This perspective acknowledges the apparent reality of the world and the individual's interaction with it, using conventional language and classifications. It's necessary for conveying spiritual truths to the unenlightened.
   • Nischaya Naya: From the real standpoint, the Self is pure, unchanging, eternal, conscious (cetana), and distinct from all non-living matter (ajiva, pudgala). It is characterized by pure faith (samyak-darśana), pure knowledge (samyak-jñāna), and pure conduct (samyak-cāritra). The true Self is beyond all worldly attributes and empirical conditions.
   • Identity of Jiva and Paramatma: The text, particularly in discussions comparing Shankara's Advaita Vedanta with Jainism, highlights the Jain concept of the inherent identity between the individual soul (Jivatma) and the Supreme Soul (Paramatma). This identity is obscured by karmic influences.
   • Rejection of Materialism and Extreme Monism/Nihilism: The text refutes materialistic views that deny the Self, extreme monistic views that dissolve individual identity into an absolute, and nihilistic views that deny reality altogether.

2. Karma:

   • Material Nature: Jainism posits that karma is intrinsically material (pudgala) in nature, though subtle and imperceptible to ordinary senses.
   • Bondage (Bandha): Bondage occurs when the Self, through ignorance and attachment (mithyatva, rāga, dveṣa, moha), identifies with karmas and their fruits.
   • Śrava (Inflow): Asrava refers to the inflow of karmic particles towards the soul, driven by passions and activities (yoga).
   • Samvara (Stoppage): Samvara is the blocking of this inflow through the practice of restraints, control of senses, and right conduct.
   • Nirjara (Shedding): Nirjara is the process of shedding off accumulated karmas, typically achieved through austerities and detachment.
   • Moksha (Liberation): Moksha is the ultimate state of liberation from all karmic bondage, resulting in the soul's return to its pure, omniscient, and blissful inherent nature.

3. Categories (Padarthas):

   • The text introduces the nine Jain categories (Nava Padarthas):
     • Jiva: Soul (conscious substance).
     • Ajiva: Non-soul (non-conscious substances), including matter (pudgala), space (akasha), principle of motion (dharma), principle of rest (adharma), and time (kala).
     • Asrava: Inflow of karma.
     • Bandha: Bondage by karma.
     • Samvara: Stoppage of karma inflow.
     • Nirjara: Shedding of karma.
     • Moksha: Liberation.
     • Punya: Virtue (as a type of karma).
     • Papa: Vice (as a type of karma).
   • The first two (Jiva and Ajiva) are considered fundamental realities, while the remaining seven are resultant categories arising from their interaction.

4. Knowledge (Jñana) and Perception (Darśana):

   • These are considered intrinsic qualities of the pure Self, not mere accidental states.
   • The text emphasizes the superiority of Nischaya Naya (real viewpoint) in understanding these qualities, contrasting it with the Vyavahara Naya.
   • The Śrutakevali (one who knows scripture) is discussed, differentiating between a 'practical' Śrutakevali (learned in scripture) and a 'real' Śrutakevali (one who has realized the Self through scripture).

5. Ethical Principles:

   • The text implicitly highlights the importance of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct (Ratnatraya) as the path to liberation.
   • It critiques external rituals, bodily insignia, and mere intellectual adherence to scriptures without inner realization.

Methodology:

• Naya (Viewpoints): The text frequently employs the concept of Naya, particularly contrasting the practical (vyavahara) with the real (nischaya), to explain complex philosophical ideas. This is crucial for understanding how apparently contradictory statements can coexist within Jain philosophy.
• Analogy and Illustration: Kundakunda and his commentators use numerous analogies and illustrations from daily life (e.g., a king and his subject, a goldsmith, a potter, a snake, a crystal, a chariot) to make abstract philosophical concepts accessible.
• Refutation of Other Schools: The text engages in subtle refutations of ideas from other Indian philosophical schools (like Vedanta, Sankhya, Buddhism, Vaisheshika) where they seem to contradict Jain principles, particularly concerning the nature of the Self, reality, and causation.

Structure of the Text:

• The text begins with salutations to the Siddhas (liberated souls).
• It then proceeds to define and explain the fundamental categories, starting with Jiva (Soul) and Ajiva (Non-soul).
• Subsequent chapters (as indicated by the titles) would likely delve into Karma, its inflow (Asrava), its blockage (Samvara), its shedding (Nirjara), its bondage (Bandha), and finally, Moksha (Liberation). The provided text covers these concepts in detail.

In essence, Samayasara is a profound exposition of Jain metaphysics and ethics, aiming to guide the practitioner from the empirical understanding of the self, bound by karmic influences, to the realization of the Self's true, pure, and liberated nature. It emphasizes the power of right knowledge and conduct, achieved through detachment and rigorous spiritual discipline, as the means to attain the ultimate goal of Moksha.