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....
6.4. Individuality, Freedom, Happiness and Courage
Today’s religious format (be it any) focuses on killing the individuality. Everyone asks the curious person, who wants to gain knowledge, to sacrifice his/her joy, his happiness in order to become happy. No one asks what does he truly want? One’s honest queries are usually considered as silly. No one pays attention that through honesty only one can proceed on the path of self-development.
Actually no one discusses about developing the self, they discuss about developing others. They tell to find happiness in suffering.
‘Give each of the a chance to live for all. Let all penance and none benefit. Let all suffer and none enjoy. Give advance a chance to stop. Let all stagnate. There's fairness in stagnation. All oppressed to the desire of all. All-inclusive subjection -without even the respect of an ace. Bondage to servitude. An extraordinary circle -and an all-out equity. The universe of things to come.’[1]
Whereas if we truly want to develop a society of love and exaltation, we must respect each other’s individuality. Where not even one thought is borrowed. People will visit temples not to get their selfish needs fulfilled or to confess their guilt, but to gain energy to be fearless.
Another message of the Ford makers is that,
‘No man can live for another. He can't share his soul similarly as he can't share his body. In any case, the secondhander has utilized charitableness as a weapon of abuse and turned around the base of humanity's ethical standards. Men have been shown each statute that pulverizes the maker. Men have been shown dependence as a virtue.’[2]
Now is the time to wake up and take the command of our lives, in our hands by achieving what we want to, not by surrendering to someone else’s thoughts.
‘We've fixed the coin. Heads—-collectivism, and tails—-collectivism. Battle the principle which butchers the person with a tenet which butchers the person. Surrender your spirit to a chamber -or surrender it to a pioneer. In any case, surrender it, surrender it, surrender it. Murder the person. Slaughter man's spirit. The rest will pursue naturally.’[3]
This appears to be the current religious scenario of the world. Wonderfully Jainism emphasises on the importance of individuality of a person. Where one can serve to oneself only and none else. One can lead oneself only and none else and only through doing so, one serves others.
No one knows who God is and if he is, where does he reside? Why does he keep mum at all the chaos happening in the world? It all seems so simple to understand but the people who are busy in solving the tensions of their lives, have to have blind faith in some supernatural power, someone to look up to, for they neither have time nor the right resources, which can raise their intellect up to a plane where they contemplate about individuality.
Despite being taught the lessons of equanimity by almost all the philosophies, still things are going into the wrong direction in terms of religion.
All talk about the soul, the sameness of it and the ultimate purpose it has, still what is the thing that lacks?
‘The names change, however the life forces they encapsulate continue as before. They will dependably exist. It is highly unlikely that either can be devastated. Else the universe will implode.’[4]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Ibid. pp. 639
[2]:
Ibid. 680
[3]:
TF. pp. 639