Jain Science and Spirituality

by Medhavi Jain | 2020 | 61,419 words

This essay studies the elements of Jainism and investigates how Jain science and philosophy can give the world answers to through science and spirituality. Instead of interpreting it as a confined, strict philosophy, it is shown that Jainism represents a path towards self-awakening through self-improvement....

3.1. Theory of Knowledge (Introduction)

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Gaining knowledge is immensely beautiful in all circumstances. When veils of ignorance lift from the consciousness, what appears is the vibrant sun of enlightenment that displays the path ahead that is though rough but the only way to reach out to the true nature of the self.

In Jain philosophy knowledge plays the most important role in the upliftment of the soul. There is no escape from it, because without the quest to know one can never have a clearer perception of the things or events. Knowledge is given equal importance along with perception and ethics, to attain emancipation.

samyag-darshana-jnana-caritrani-mokshamargah
—(Tattvartha Sutra 1.1)

‘The enlightened world view, enlightened knowledge and enlightened conduct are the path to liberation.’^[1]

The right world view motivates one to seek and gain the right knowledge and together they show the path towards the right conduct. Without knowledge even following of ethics is blind.

The most important perspective of any religious philosophy is that it provides immense freedom, which unfortunately described as exactly the opposite nowadays.

‘The world-view which sees many and the whole is enlightened. It avoids dogmas which inhibit free and open thought.’^[2]

So no point of getting annoyed if one feels that he has not been understood as his spiritual intellectualism lies in having an understanding towards all point of views.

Knowledge gaining turns out to be a chain reaction, where each gained knowledge gives way to the higher planes of knowledge, which eventually lead to spiritual upliftment.

‘Enlightened world view generates enlightened knowledge which, thusly, brings forth enlightened conduct. So edified world view is the cause, of which illuminated knowledge and conduct are the effects. The spiritual path is controlled by this incorporated trinity.’^[3]

For no matter what, a seeker moves ahead on the path of knowledge only when he feels an intuition, a perception or a quest to know more. Hence the enlightened world view is placed before enlightened knowledge.

The eminent seekers of Jain philosophy, like the author of Tattvartha Sutra, Acharya Umasvati, have always discarded the single path doctrine of many philosophies. For example—‘the doctrines of knowledge alone, faith alone or conduct alone, can never be considered, as the right path to liberation.’^[4]

Existence of the opposites is well established.

‘Whatever shows up as the unshakeable truth, the precise inverse may likewise be valid in another unique situation. It is the specific situation or point of view that you are looking from that moulds which specific reality you see.’^[5]

For example the strength, the kind of bone structure, a tirthankara possesses has a positive purpose; on the contrary a denizen of the seventh hell also possesses the same bone structure and strength, but its purpose is exactly the opposite.

Hence in Jain philosophy there is much emphasis on gaining right knowledge for knowledge is the strongest path that helps one in attaining Godhood.

‘Our undertaking is to learn, to move toward becoming God-like through information. We know nearly nothing… By learning we approach Godhood.’^[6]

And through knowledge only we can guide others.

Also irrespective of how intelligent one is, one cannot start the journey towards, be it anything, knowledge or spiritual discipline, on one’s own.

One has to take help of the previously done work by others, like a Guru, a teacher or a philosopher.

‘We pass on knowledge to one another, so every age starts its adventure from the shoulders of the past age and not from scratch.’^[7]

And every generation takes the torch of knowledge a little further hence even the tirthankara are called the reformers and not the founders.

‘One of the most important of life’s lessons is to learn independence, to understand freedom.’^[8]

In fact one of the most important lessons of a religious philosophy is also to attain freedom through knowledge, however in today’s scenario it does not seem like the same.

We gain empirical knowledge through our senses and mind, where mind does the thinking.

‘To Kant both senses-based knowledge and thinking were necessary. Knowledge and truth are definite. Truth comes from the knowledge of the senses and definiteness from thoughts.’^[9]

However innate or direct knowledge does not require the help of senses and mind.

tan nisargad adhigamad va
—(Tattvartha Sutra 1.3 )

‘The enlightened world view may arise spontaneously or through learning.’^[10]

In our routine life we can see many examples of the same, we observe an average child who has a keen interest in gaining knowledge, we see him as a genius after a few years; another example is we meet a woman, who talks quite normally about her husband, children, shopping and how much does she love being a home-maker, no bigger talks or dreams, and we meet the same woman after a few months and we get mesmerised at her transformation, now she is talking about success, motivation, career and the bigger purpose of life.

Though rationally we cannot prove this, but,

‘The common existence of a spirit has no start. The spirit transmigrates starting with one birth then onto the next as indicated by its karma, which decides its predetermination. All things considered, every unique soul has the inborn information and instinct which can enable it to wreck the beginning-less deceived world view tormenting it. The illuminated world view can emerge at the appropriate moment in any type of life–infernal, subhuman, human or heavenly–when the agonising idea of life is understood, a vision of the Jina (omniscient) is seen. Some of the time this illuminated view gets through precipitously without outside help. In some cases it emerges through educational quest or study.’^[11]

This is the sheer beauty of Jain philosophy that it considers each soul equal, here even infernal beings can attain an enlightened world view and even they can progress on the spiritual path, for it’s the journey of the soul and not of the body in which it resides.

The secrets of the universe, the origin of the earth, beginning of time, all of these belong to the truth, truth which is not dependent on any factor but simply exists.

‘Truth is everlasting. One who sees it doesn't make it, but clarifies it. Mahavira was not the organizer of truth, however one who communicated it. He saw that reality can be seen however its entirety can't be communicated.’^[12]

And this is the limitation of language that, leave the truth, even a feeling or emotion can only be expressed unto a limit, beyond that it can only be felt.

Irrespective of our arguments of having faith in rationality, we may admit that even rationality has its own limitations and even a rational person enacts under the influence of intuition.

‘There are two different ways of appreciating reality: rationale and Darshana (instinct). Considering and thinking have a place with a lower plane; though instinct works on a higher plane. The previous does not give us quality of conviction which the last grants. The previous directions just a restricted zone of enquiry and is, in this manner, not equipped to grasp the idea of the real world. Darshana then again, starts where reasoning ends. The two cannot go together. Intuition is the foremost means of seeing the truth directly.’^[13]

For example–a passionate dreamer may see his distant successful future intuitively whereas he has to work rationally to reach that state, however he cannot describe logically that he already knew that one day he would achieve this success. Hence intuition enacts on a higher plane for it directly comes from the consciousness.