My father is Jain, my mother Hindu. Under traditional Indian custom, since my father is Jain, I am also Jain. My experience, however, is somewhat of a mixture between Jainism and Hinduism. My family and I considered the two denominations intertwined (as many Indians do) because many parallels exist between the two, and after all, Jainism evolved from Hinduism. Until my adolescent years, my familiarity was with Hinduism, Hindu mythology, rituals, and customs.
It was not until my adolescent years when I first experienced Jainism. Every summer, a monk named Manakmuni would stay at our home, wearing just a white robe, slippers, and an unusual mask over his mouth. Of course it was this unusual mask that evoked my curiousity. I later found out that the mask was used in order to prevent insects and bacteria from being accidentally ingested, adhering to the strict Jain principles of non-violence (ahimsa). It was for this reason, at first inspection, Jainism seemed like an intense form of Hinduism. Jains seemed to be the extreme or strict, Hindus. Jainism however, distinguishes (as in many other religions) between monks (sramana) and "laymen" (sravaka) . Laymen, may practice restraints in a less rigorous manner until they qualify for becoming ascetics in the complete sense of the term. Naturally the rules for ascetics are stricter than those for laymen and provide a shorter, however harder, route to nirvana, which is the goal for the layman also, but one which he reaches by a longer and slower process.
One of the rules under the Jain doctrine of ahimsa forbids the consumption of flesh. By this time, I was already a product of American society super-sizing my McDonald's value meals. I, however, believed that ahimsa should not apply to food, since it was simply nourishment allowing a person to meet biological requirements. Eating meat should not be deemed violence, it cannot possibly be placed on the same plane as hunting animals or violence towards other humans. Eating meat for nourishment or wearing leather for warmth does not seem the least bit unethical.
I later realized however, that Jainism provided strong arguments for whatever it declared. This was unlike other religions which sometimes seemed to explicitly state a code of conduct, and any deviance would mean a sort of damnation. Jainism, more than any other creed, gives absolute religious independence and freedom to man. Nothing can intervene between our actions and their consequences: no God, no Allah, no Christ. As my independence is great, so is my responsibility for my actions. I can live as I like; but my choice is irrevocable, and I cannot escape its consequences. This principle distinguishes Jainism from other religions such as Christianity, Islam, et al.
During Manakmuni’s pravachans (lectures), I would receive a logical response to my numerous quandaries. With repect to food, Manakmuni explained that eating meat not only has physiological ramifications (meat protein has been found to cause disease) but mental and emotional consequences as well. For example, the food that people eat produces innumerable chemicals in the body that produce neurotransmitters which relay information to and from the brain. For this reason, food is now believed to be the source of numerous emotional imbalances. The Jains have been familiar with this phenomenon for centuries.
It is this scientific method of justification that attracted me to Jainism. In other denominations, there would often be the argument of science versus religion but this is not the case with Jainism. For example, modern science has discovered microscopic living organisms in a drop of water. It is remarkable how Jain philosophy discerned this natural miracle, and how more than two thousand years ago the Jains preached and practiced compassion towards these microscopic fellow creatures of man by prohibiting the careless use of water.
This was perhaps particularly important for me since I began becoming somewhat of a skeptic regarding religion, rejecting anything that seemed to oppose natural common sense. For this reason I began thinking of myself as an atheist because I began rejecting God in His conventional form. By "conventional form" I mean that when the word "God" was uttered it was all too often that I would picture in my mind some man with a long beard in the clouds, or some Hindu deity with many arms. To me it seemed illogical, even childish to perceive the idea of God as some supernatural being dwelling in another dimension of the universe or some other plane of existence. I did, however, believe that some "higher power" was at work. How else could you explain the wonders and the incredible order of the universe? Magnificent stars shine bright at distances one could only imagine, under powerful microscopes the same stars are made up of a seemingly infinite amount of atoms that yet break up into smaller brilliant infinitesimal particles, and hundreds of thousands of genes in our bodies provide the templates for human existence. I began to refer to this "higher power" as simply the universe and that our role in the universe, as individuals was to beware of our actions. Since the universe is governed by physical law, for every action there is an equal reaction; what goes around comes around (the law of karma).
I was quite surprised when I discovered that this was somewhat the Jain view of God. Jains do not believe in the existence of God as a creator, sustainer and moral governor of the world. Jainism is also many times considered atheistic since it does not believe its gods to have created the universe. "According to Jain cosmology, the universe is a living organism, made animate throughout by life-monads which circulate through its limbs and spheres ." The universe consists of jivas, or souls, and ajivas, or beings which are not souls, and must necessarily be without beginning and without end. The jiva who attains this final stage of evolutions is the pure jiva, known as the siddha, or perfected soul. The samsari jiva, the soul still bound by karma, is always enclosed within a material body . They are also classified according to the number of sense organs they posses. For example, the lowest class is considered to include trees and plants because they are believed to have only the sense of touch.
The characteristic of ajiva is that it is inert nonliving. The ajiva substances which are uncreated and eternal, are pudgala matter; dharma the principle of motion; adharma, the principle of rest; akasa, space and kala, time. It is not necessary to postulate a deity to explain the nature of the cosmos, for the very fact of the eternal existence of jivas and ajivas requires cosmos in which they can be manifested. Jainism denies that the big question of creation exists, because there is no question (because there was no creation).
Believers in the creation theory manifest God as a man-like figure; whereas Jainism raises man to Godliness and inspires him to reach as near Godhood as possible by steady faith, right perception, perfect knowledge, and above all, a spotless life. Since every soul is a potential Paramatman (perfected soul) Jainism is far from being atheistic, because it maintains that the soul is divine and the possibility exists of realizing its divinity. Therefore, Jains consider that the best way to worship God is to become themselves, Sons of God, or Paramatmans.
Of course the question now remains on how to achieve this Godliness. For this we need to analyze the Indian philosophical concept of karma.
Metaphysically, moksa is liberation from karma and rebirth. Jainism accepts karma and reincarnation, but unlike the others, it conceives of karma as something material, which, uniting with the soul binds a man to the world and its attractions. Though it is regarded as a material substance, karma is yet so subtle that it is unperceivable by the senses. It is in this karma that the soul is bound, and it is for this reason that the soul is embodied in the substance of a being and that it is embodied from a beginningless past. But, though this bondage has no beginning, it may definitely have an end, for the soul is essentially free and divine, and just as soon as its true nature is realized karma disappears.
This bondage of the soul to karma is not caused by anything extraneous but by karma itself. As the soul comes into contact with the world outside, certain psychic conditions arise, such as the desire for enjoyment, which leads to the ignorance of the soul's true nature, and causes the karmic molecules to 'flow in' towards it and in the process to surround it. This 'flowing in' of karmic matter is peculiar to Jain metaphysics, and is technically known as asrava, the first stage in karmic bondage. The next stage is the actual bondage, known as bandha. In this the molecules become settled and build up a body known as the karmana sarira, and the soul is weighed down by its own karmas. The physical body dies with death, but the karmana sarira, lingers on until the final liberation.
Freedom from the weight of karma is gained first by samvara, self-restraint, for when this is exercised no fresh karma is attached to the soul. Then by self-discipline, both ethical and spiritual, there is induced a state known as nirjara, or the shedding of all past karmas. At this point rebirth ceases, and a certain preliminary liberation is attained, but the next two (and last stages) must precede moksa, the final liberation. The first of these is Arhat, in which the enlightened soul, freed from karmas, continues to live in the world, actively engaged in the service of humanity yet no longer tainted by good and evil.
In the next stage of its progress, the soul transcends the world. Here, where there is no more activity, it attains the perfect state, characterized by infinite knowledge and infinite peace. This, the final state, is known as Siddha Paramesthin.
It must be understood that even the influx of "good" or "holy" karma is unsatisfactory since it keeps the soul linked to the world prohibiting it from achieving its absolute grace. The influx of every karmic type has to be blocked in order to attain nirvana, and this can only be accomplished by abstaining from action; all action whatsoever, whether good or bad.
The self is never separated from matter until its final release. This sort of deliverance can be achieved by three elements; right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. Belief in real existence is deemed right faith. Knowledge of real nature without doubt or error is right knowledge. Practicing of the five virtues, ahimsa (non-violence), truth-speaking, non-stealing, chastity, non-attachment to worldly things composes right conduct.
I remember when I was a kid in elementary school I would ponder the universe and its vastness. I realized that our world, more specifically, the earth, was so miniscule in relation to the universe, since the universe was infinite. I began thinking that it would not matter if we existed or not, it did not matter if the earth or life existed. I would close my eyes and begin to imagine a world with nothing, no earth, no life, no universe. I then realized that I myself did also not exist (this was the hardest part). I felt a strange sensation, as if I were falling. I immediately opened my eyes because it was somewhat frightening (it must be noted that I was not older than 10!). Looking back at the experience it is very interesting. One might say I attained a sort of split second nirvana realizing that there is inherently no self, the other side says that this was probably my first bout with nihilism.
In my world there is no heaven, no hell. Therefore my only mechanism for combating nihilism is the law of karma. By "mechanism" I mean that our lives have some future consequences and that our existence has a purpose. In Christianity the mechanism is the existence of heaven and hell. When I ventured into my meditative state I realized that I sought refuge in this world even if it had no intrinsic value in the "higher order" of things. However, if the cycle of karma is itself to be broken, and all action is to be refrained from, is this not nihilism? If the theory of karma was proven false, I would perhaps be a "devout" suicidal nihilist because there would be no purpose for existence. Nihilists value nothing. The Jains see nothing as a value, the supreme being, a state of eternal happiness. But how could you know happiness without sorrow? Many psychologists have forwarded the notion that we enjoy our suffering. Life is like golf. A famous golfer once said, "I hate the game, but I can't wait to play again tomorrow." Jainism regards moksa as the ideal, the goal for all human beings. I cannot stand for or against the idea, but merely try to understand it.
Moksa should be seen as more of a ultimate goal then an immediate one. A joke gets less funny every time you hear it. Perhaps we are all bound to endure the cycle of birth and rebirth until we are forced to recognize the supreme truth, or maybe some of our souls will never recognize it.
Jainism however, forwards the notion that it is basically our choice. We can either go up with awareness or down with dependency. We have to decide between these two directions. If we have a longing to go up with awareness, this will give our life some sort of meaning. Regardless of what one gives to this body, it is going to disintegrate, it is only temporary. One day, it is going to go. If one doesn't use this body for moving toward higher awareness, then one will use it for temporary pleasure, gratification, or satisfaction. If one doesn't have an inner quest, then one can live for enjoying as much as one can, and doing whatever one wants. "You can have what you want." Jainism states that in this case, there is no need to have a human body. To enjoy sex, to indulge in food, to accumulate things, to sleep a long time, to live in aggression, one can have an animal form just as well as a human form.
To move upward, we need awareness. To go downward, we need attachment. It is this attachment that is the root of our pain and suffering. It is clinging to things. If something is here now, it will stay only as long as it has the nature to stay. So you enjoy, and when it goes, let it go. This is the inherent nature of things, to go. Manakmuni uses a flower as an example to illustrate this concept. When you see a flower you bask in its beauty and fragrance. You know the flower will soon wilt but you are not grief stricken because that is the nature of the flower.
Jainism is often accused of teaching people to run away from life instead of enjoying it On the contrary, it does tell you to enjoy your living. Only it objects to subjecting yourself to unnecessary pain. For this reason, Jain teachings stress living in the present since we are always worrying about the future or regretting the past. There is really no fear except the fear you have created. Franklin Roosevelt's famous saying goes, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Once fear takes root in your mind, it will take you in thousands of different directions. Those distorted mental creations are simply the products of fear. That is why Mahavir spoke directly to the initiates, saying, "Anything you do out of fear has no meaning. You have to reach that state in which you see what the whole world is. Then what you do, you do out of fearlessness." When you are not under the influence of fear, then you are able to enjoy the moment. A person who is under fear is not going to enjoy life.
How do you transcend fear? The only way is to know the world as it is, to know what you are, to know your relationship with the world. You are here for what? When you know your real nature, you will know why you are here. When you can discriminate between your essence and your transient nature, then you will be able to transcend fear.
"Moksha is freedom, limitlessness. Once the soul drops all of its karmas, sheds every particle of matter encasing it, it finds uninterrupted peacefulness. There is no fight, no movement, no journey, no need. There is no desire to go anywhere because the soul has now reached a state in which it experiences life in completion, perfection, and desirelessness, which is fulfillment."
The elements of the universe are earth, water, fire, and air. These elements combine and come apart, combine and come apart. The universe is always in flux. Mahavir used a vivid word for matter: pudgala. Pud means to fill and gala means to empty or dissolve. Our body is filling and dissolving every minute. Old cells are dropped and new cells replace them. The process of cell-building and cell-disintegration is constantly active. The process of pudgala is true of our inner self as well. Just as our cells are constantly changing, our emotions and thoughts are continually renewing themselves as well. Emotions and thoughts are fine forms of matter.
Jains regard the soul as having tremendous power, as if its light is more intense than a laser beam. For this reason Jains stress meditation, in order to focus that light inward and gain a sort of brilliant insight. The soul or conscious energy is meant to flow in a steady stream toward the awareness of itself as an immortal blissful energy of love and truth. It longs to experience universal consciousness and join the company of the Siddhas. But from the beginnings of time, it has been in the company of matter. Its flow has been limited by certain kinds of particles which have been around it, acting as coverings. These particles of matter are once again, ajiva, inanimate energy. They are the conditions in which the soul finds itself. As the soul perceives the outer universe through the senses and the inner world through the mind, it is continually influenced and conditioned by the presence of particles of matter. It is in what may be called a matter-dominated state, and it attracts additional karmic vibrations or particles. These karmic formations become what we call emotions and thoughts.
When you become aware of your pure formless nature and stop identifying with matter: physical, mental, and emotional, you can stop attracting matter. Once we know the construction of the universe, we realize that there is only one among the six substances which is aware--that is jiva, the Self. Time does not know anything. Space does not know anything. Matter is incapable of awareness. The laws of motion and rest are not aware. They are all inanimate. Truly, awareness pertains to the Self only. Our Self knows everything. When we know this, we are not confused. We focus on the inside universe which has the key to all the puzzles in our life.
You are both the patient and the doctor. You are the patient because you are angry, and you are the doctor because you are curing. Your mind is the patient; your soul is the doctor.
"You are jiva, a limitless, infinite soul! There is nothing to fight for, to compete for. Know what is your world and use it! From this platform of human life, you can see your present condition. Clear away the obstacles and forms cluttering your inner universe by becoming aware of their cause and their nature! Open the windows of your heart and mind and feel the spacious space inside! "
Bruce Lee once said, "Don't think; feel. It's like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all the heavenly glory.”
WORKS CITED
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Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992.
Hiriyanna, M. The Essentials of Indian Philosophy.
London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1969.
Jaini, Jagmanderlal. Outlines of Jainism.
Westport, Connecticut: Hyperion Press Inc, 1982.
Laidlaw, James. Riches and Renunciation.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.
Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli. A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
Sanghvi, Sukhlalji. Advanced Studies in Indian Logic & Metaphysics. Calcutta: Firma. K. L. Mukhopadhyaya, 1961.
Sharma, Chandradhar. A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy.
Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1964.
Swami Prabhavananda. The Spiritual Heritage of India.
Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1963.
Zimmer, Heinrich. Philosophies of India.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1951. |
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