Samyag Darshan Kevi Rite Pragate

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Samyag Darshan Kevi Rite Pragate" by Bhikhalal Girdharlal Sheth, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Samyag Darshan Kevi Rite Pragate (How is Right Faith Attained?) Author: Bhikhalal Girdharlal Sheth Publisher: Jagdishchandra Bhalchandra Khokhani

Overall Theme: The book is a guide on the path to Samyag Darshan (Right Faith or Right Vision), a foundational concept in Jainism that is the first step towards liberation (Moksha). It explains what Samyag Darshan is, why it's crucial, and the practical steps and spiritual understanding required to attain it. The author emphasizes that true Samyag Darshan is not merely intellectual understanding but a deep, internalized realization and conviction.

Key Concepts and Chapters/Sections:

1. The Nature of Samsara and the Need for Samyag Darshan:

   • The text begins by highlighting the soul's (Jiva) eternal cycle of birth and death (Samsara) due to ignorance of its true nature.
   • This ignorance leads to identifying with the non-soul (ajiva) – the body, senses, and external objects – causing attachment and suffering.
   • Attaining a human birth, having access to enlightened teachers (Sadgurus), and understanding the pure soul (Shuddhatmatattva) are presented as rare opportunities that must be utilized to attain Samyag Darshan.
   • The author stresses that without Samyag Darshan, human life is wasted, and the cycle of suffering continues.

2. The Path to Attaining Samyag Darshan:

   • Preparation of the Vessel: Before attaining Samyag Darshan, one must prepare themselves. This involves cultivating qualities like Niti (ethics/morality), Vairagya (dispassion/detachment), and Upsham (calmness/suppression of passions).
   • The Role of Niti and Vairagya: Righteous conduct (Niti) and dispassion (Vairagya) are essential. Shri Shrimad Rajchandraji is quoted, emphasizing that unwavering adherence to Niti in daily life is the foundation. Vairagya arises from detachment from worldly possessions and relationships, leading to Upsham (calmness). These qualities reduce false beliefs (Viparyas Buddhi) and open the mind to understanding true principles (Siddhanta).
   • The Importance of Understanding Principles: Simply possessing Vairagya and Upsham is not enough. One must also deeply understand the Jain principles (Siddhanta) and, most importantly, realize the true nature of the soul in its pure form.
   • The Essence of Sadhana: Sadhana (spiritual practice) must be directed towards understanding the soul's true nature. Without this focus on the ultimate reality (Paramarth), the goal of self-realization is missed.

3. Samyag Darshan as the Root of Dharma:

   • The text quotes scriptures like the Uttaradhyayan Sutra and Acharya Kundakunda, stating that Dharma (righteousness/religion) has Samyag Darshan as its root.
   • Samyag Darshan is likened to the flow of water that washes away accumulated karmic impurities, much like sand being washed away by a stream.
   • It's the first step in the path of Ratnatraya (Three Jewels) – Samyag Darshan, Samyak Gyan (Right Knowledge), and Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct) – which collectively lead to Moksha.

4. Defining the Three Jewels (Ratnatraya):

   • Samyak Gyan (Right Knowledge): Understanding the soul as distinct from the body and all other substances, as pure consciousness, and experiencing this knowledge.
   • Samyag Darshan (Right Faith/Vision): Having a pure, unwavering belief and conviction in this true nature of the soul, free from doubt and misperceptions.
   • Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct): Stabilizing in this realized nature of the soul, acting in accordance with it, and living accordingly without external rituals.

5. Samyag Darshan is Pure Faith:

   • The core of Samyag Darshan is pure faith and conviction in the true nature of reality.
   • True Devotion: True Devs are the Arihants and Siddhas – those free from passions (राग-द्वेष-मोह). Worshipping for worldly gains is not true devotion.
   • True Gurus: True Gurus are those who possess self-knowledge, equanimity, and guide others with their pure speech, free from attachment and aversion.
   • True Scriptures: True Scriptures are those that reveal the path to dispassion and the true nature of the soul.
   • The Path to Realization: Realizing the true nature of the Arihants and then contemplating one's own soul, realizing its identical nature and merging into it, leads to Samyag Darshan. This involves understanding the substance, qualities, and states of the soul and then shedding the delusion of identifying with non-soul.

6. Understanding the Nine Tattvas (Entities):

   • To attain Samyag Darshan, one must understand the true nature of the nine Tattvas: Jiva (soul), Ajiva (non-soul), Asrava (influx of karma), Bandha (bondage of karma), Samvara (cessation of karma), Nirjara (shedding of karma), Moksha (liberation), Punya (merit), and Papa (demerit).
   • Understanding these Tattvas correctly dispels fundamental errors in perception. True faith in Tattvas is when it leads to the realization of the pure soul.
   • Knowing the Tattvas leads to the understanding of the soul's inherent purity, its separation from all else, and the realization that Samsara is due to one's own errors.
   • The book clarifies that merely knowing the classifications (e.g., types of souls, their characteristics) is not enough; it's the experience and conviction in the true nature of the soul that is Samyag Darshan. The detailed classifications are to illustrate the soul's mistaken states and the contrast with its pure state.

7. Bhed Vigyan (Discrimination between Self and Non-Self):

   • This is a crucial practice. It's the deep realization that the soul is distinct from the body, mind, speech, and all other external substances.
   • This discrimination leads to non-attachment and paves the way for experiencing the pure soul. The author quotes scriptures and saints who emphasize that all liberation comes from Bhed Vigyan.

8. Experiencing the Pure Nature of the Soul:

   • The text describes the pure nature of the soul as one, indivisible, unattached, changeless, pure consciousness, full of inherent knowledge and bliss, serene, and free from all passions and external influences.
   • The process involves contemplating this pure nature, detaching from all false identifications, and thereby realizing the soul's true essence. This realization, when stable, is Samyag Darshan.

9. The Five Lattis (Powers/Acquisitions):

   • These are stages or prerequisites for attaining Samyag Darshan: Kshapakshama Labdhi, Vishuddhi Labdhi, Deshana Labdhi, Prayogya Labdhi, and Karana Labdhi. The first four are common to all souls, while the fifth is specific to those who will attain Samyag Darshan within the current half-period of time.
   • These Labdhis involve the gradual purification of the soul's states and the weakening or modification of karmic bonds.

10. Types of Samyag Darshan:

    • Nishchaya Samyag Darshan (Real/Absolute Right Faith): The direct, unwavering realization of the soul's pure nature, free from all misperceptions.
    • Vyavahara Samyag Darshan (Conventional/Relative Right Faith): Faith in true Dev, Guru, and Dharma, which serves as a cause for Nishchaya Samyag Darshan but is not the ultimate realization itself.
    • Nisargaja Samyag Darshan: Spontaneous attainment, often due to strong past karmic impressions, without immediate external causes.
    • Adhigamaja Samyag Darshan: Attainment through the direct teachings of a self-realized Guru.

11. Three Types of Samyag Darshan (Based on Karma):

    • Upasham Samyaktva: Attained by suppressing the deluding karmas (Darshan Mohaniya). It's temporary and can lead to falling back to lower spiritual states.
    • Kshayopasham Samyaktva: Attained by destroying and suppressing deluding karmas. This is more stable than Upasham but can still be disturbed.
    • Kshayika Samyaktva: Attained by completely destroying the deluding karmas. This is eternal, unwavering, and the highest form of Samyag Darshan, leading directly towards final liberation.

12. Qualities of a Samyag Drishti (One with Right Faith):

    • Fearlessness: Free from the seven fears (fear of this world, next world, pain, helplessness, disgrace, death, and accidental calamities).
    • Eight Angas (Limbs/Qualities):
      1. Nihshankita: Freedom from doubt.
      2. Nishkankshita: Freedom from craving for worldly pleasures.
      3. Nirvichikitsa: Freedom from disgust or aversion towards the body or Jain practices.
      4. Amudhadrishti: Correct vision, free from delusion or attachment to false views.
      5. Upagruhana/Upavrihana: Supporting and strengthening one's own and others' faith.
      6. Sthirikaran: Stabilizing oneself and others in the true path.
      7. Vatsalya: Affection and love for the Jain path, its principles, and followers.
      8. Prabhavana: Propagating and glorifying the Jain dharma.
    • Freedom from 25 Flaws (Mala): The text lists various flaws like attachment to lineage, beauty, knowledge, pride, attachment to worldly pleasures, wrong beliefs (Deva, Guru, Dharma Mudhta), and the eight opposite qualities of the Eight Angas.
    • Freedom from 41 Karmic Bondages: Certain karmic dispositions are not bonded by a soul with Samyag Darshan. These include aspects related to delusion, specific body types, the hellish realm, etc.
    • Correct Discrimination and Conviction: A Samyag Drishti has a clear, unwavering understanding and conviction about Tattvas, free from doubt (Samsaya), confusion (Vimeha), and wrong beliefs (Vibhrama).

13. The Glory of Tirthankara Devs:

    • The book also includes a section on Tirthankara Devs, their five auspicious events (Kalyanaks): Garbha (conception), Janma (birth), Tapa (asceticism), Jnana (omniscience), and Nirvana (liberation).
    • It describes their pure nature, their role in establishing the Jain order, and refutes the misconception that they might consume non-vegetarian food (highlighting their inherent compassion and adherence to pure vegetarianism).
    • Tirthankara Devs are described as perfect souls, free from the 18 impurities, possessing omniscience, and being the source of liberation for many.

Conclusion: The book is a comprehensive philosophical and practical guide. It underscores that Samyag Darshan is the indispensable first step towards spiritual evolution and ultimate liberation in Jainism, attainable through self-effort, ethical conduct, dispassion, right knowledge, and unwavering faith in the true nature of the soul. The detailed explanations of concepts, scriptures, and the attributes of Tirthankaras aim to inspire the reader towards this noble pursuit.