From Religious Books:
by Dr. Sagar Mal Jain
We are living in the age of science and technology. The growth of scientific knowledge and technology has given new dimensions to our lives and has influenced every field of our living. Science has done a great service to mankind by providing amenities for pleasant living and has saved men from many miseries and uncertainties of the primitive past. It has also destroyed many superstitions and religious dogmas. At the same time, the scientific outlook has uprooted the moral, religious and cultural values of our society. Our traditional religious beliefs and values have been renounced by some individuals in the light of the advance of scientific perspective.(2) We know much about the atom but not much about the values needed for a meaningful and peaceful life. We are living in a state of disarray. Our lives are full of worries, emotional disorders and conflict of values. Every one suffers from anxiety and oppressive stress.
Today man needs mental peace and complete integration with his own personality and with his social environment. Can religion, in general, and Jainism, in particular, meet this need of our times? Yes, it can.(3) Religion, according to the Jain thinkers, does not mean superstitions, dogmas and rituals. It has eternal concepts and values that can meet the needs of the time.
One important question is what we mean by the term religion? Many western scholars define religion as faith. Some say that religion is belief in spiritual beings. Others define religion as faith in the conservation of values. The famous Jain text, KARTIKEYAANUPREKSHA, defines religion as the real nature of things. Thus according to Jain thinkers, the inner core of religion is faith, but it is the faith in our own existence and our own real nature, belief in some eternal and spiritual values that are essential for the existence and uplift of mankind. That being so, what is the real nature of the human being? The real nature of human beings is equanimity.(4) ACHAARAANG SUTRA defines religion (of human beings) as mental equanimity. In BHAGWATI SUTRA, Gautam Swami asks Bhagwaan Mahaveer, "What is the nature of soul?" Bhagwaan replies, "The nature of soul is equanimity." Gautam asks, "What is the ultimate aim of soul?" Mahaveer replies, "The ultimate aim of the soul is also equanimity." Acharya Kundkund, in SAMAYASAAR, has equated the essential nature (SVABHAAV) of soul with equanimity (SAMAYA or SAMATA). He further explains that self realization (SVA-SAMAYA or SVA-SVABHAAV) is the ultimate goal of our lives.
According to Jainism, religion is nothing but an endeavor for the realization of one's own essential nature. Dwelling in one's own essential nature means to remain secure in the state of an spectator or observer.(5) It is the state of subjectivity or of a pure knower. In this state, the consciousness is completely free from excitement and emotions, and the mind becomes tranquil. It is the precondition for enjoying spiritual happiness, and for relieving mental tension, which is an impure state of mind (VIBHAAV). This is SAAMAAYIK - the practice of equanimity of mind. Nobody wants to live in a state of stress. All seek relaxation instead of tension, contentment instead of anxiety. Our real nature is mental peace or equanimity. Religion is nothing but a way of achieving this mental peace. This method of achieving mental peace - SAAMAAYIK is the first and foremost among the six essential duties.(6)
The path to liberation of rational knowledge, rational perception and rational conduct is the application of equanimity in the three aspects of our conscious life, that is, knowing, feeling and willing. Even-mindedness, broader and unbiased outlook and regard for other ideologies and thoughts constitute equanimity of knowledge or rational knowledge. Detachment from the objects of worldly pleasures, balanced state of mind and the feeling of equality constitute equanimity of feeling or rational perception. Control over one's desires, regard for other's life and property, equity and fairness in social life constitute equanimity of willing or rational conduct. The three organs of rational conduct are body, speech and mind. According to Jain teachers, equanimity of body, speech and mind should be the directive principle of religious life. Equanimity of mind entails non-attachment (ANAASAKTI) or non-possessiveness (APARIGRAH). Equanimity of body is nonviolence (AHIMSA) and equanimity of speech is non-absolutism (SYAADAVAAD or ANEKAANTAVAAD). Nonviolence, non-attachment and non-absolutism are the three pillars of Jainism. By adopting these concepts, we can attain happiness and peace in our lives and create an atmosphere of tolerance and trust in society.
Footnotes:
1. Adapted from the Introduction to 'Lord Mahavira' by Dr. Bool Chand Jain, published by P. V. Research Institute, Varanasi, 1987.
2. Jainism certainly teaches us to make an open-minded scientific approach to understand reality which is similar to the scientific process. - D. C. J.
3. This implies that if we practice the teachings of Jainism individually, we can attain happiness and peace in our lives. - D. C. J.
4. Please see couplet 274 on page 6 of the present issue.
5. In plain words, it means not being influenced or getting involved in what happens in the natural course in our lives in spite of our best intentions and efforts. - D. C. J.
6. For details, please see Studies In Jainism: Reader 2, published by Jain Study Circle, 1997, pages 76-78.