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Topic: A Brief Introduction To Jainism
Posted: 2004-10-02 @ 12:51:11
The Jain Concept of Ultimate Reality
Jainism follows the five common concepts of South Asian religions: reincarnation, karma, enlightenment, dharma, and desire. Although more emphasis is placed on ridding the jiva (soul) of karma and eliminating all desires of the ajiva (material self), the other three common concepts are prevalent. To end the cycle of reincarnation and reach moksha (enlightenment, or “’release’ from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth” (F&P 70)) one must adhere to their dharma in order to overcome desire and rid the jiva of all karma. Karma, in Jainism, is not merely “a law; karma is a form of very subtle matter” and that “when we act, karmic matter attaches to and ‘weighs down’ the jiva” (WR 161).
As an Eastern Atheistic religion, “Jainism is atheistic not in the sense of denying the existence of gods; in the Jain cosmology, gods exist… [but] play no role in ultimate transformation… They exist simply as other types of jivas, with their own particular form of matter (which renders them invisible)” (WR 164). Thus, as there are no personal gods, each soul is capable of and expected to achieve moksha on its own.
Jains believe neither in a creator nor a creation. According to their Agamas (sacred texts), “no single being had the skill to make this world” (F&P 67). “There is no creator deity that made the world as it is-it has always been as it is and always will be, although it does go through cycles of relative degeneration and regeneration” (F&P 57). When jivas achieve moksha, they then reside in loka (the top of the universe) “where they dwell eternally in full consciousness, knowledge, and bliss” as a kevalin (“an ‘all-knowing one”) (WR 163). Jivas do not join an ultimate reality or become a part of an ultimate reality, but instead remain as individual souls when they get to loka.
How Ultimate Reality is Known in Jainism
In order for jivas to achieve moksha and get to loka, all ties to the ajiva must be cut. This is done through “extreme asceticism, together with…emphasis on personal effort, and…strict adherence to the doctrine of noninjury” (F&P 56). The jiva collects karma through every action (both good and bad) and must be completely rid of karma before moksha can occur. Good actions produce lighter karma that is easier to rid than bad actions, which produce darker karma that is more difficult to rid. “The only way to burn off more karma than one creates is to dedicate oneself to a program of asceticism and meditation,” and although the natural burning off of karma is a slow process, the progression can be “aided through fasting, celibacy, and various types of ascetic practices aimed at developing tapas (literally ‘heat,’ the energy one acquires through self-restraint and asceticism)” (F&P 58).
Monks and nuns of the Jain tradition may achieve moksha by following the Five Great Vows. The first of which, ahimsa (noninjury), is the “hallmark of Jainism” (WR 163). Jain monks and nuns carry brooms with them to sweep their path before walking or sitting, strain their water before drinking, wash their begging bowls, and wear masks over their noses and mouths to avoid inadvertently ending the lives of tiny insects. In the Digambara tradition, monks and nuns avoid wearing any clothing whatsoever, whereas the Shvetambara tradition allows a single white robe to be worn. The Digambaras’ lack of clothing is to prevent accidentally killing tiny insects and also to ensure a lack of attachment to desire. The second Great Vow is to “renounce all vices of lying;” the third Great Vow is to “renounce all taking of anything not given;” the fourth Great Vow is to “renounce all sexual pleasures;” and the fifth Great Vow is to “renounce all attachments” (WR 164). The ultimate, greatest action that a person must do after achieving moksha is to purposefully starve to death, as a final renouncement of physical attachments.
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