The Path of Liberation

By Ms. Shweta Shah
Jain Study Center of North Carolina

Liberation is to be free from all karmic matter and worldly attatchments.  A liberated soul goes to Moksha which is located on the top of Lokakash.  A liberated soul has no body and no shape.

It has infinite knowledge, energy, power, and bliss.  There is a means of liberation, souls can be free from karmic matter and worldly attatchments, such as all the twenty-four Thirthankaras, attained liberation.

The purpose of all life is to realize the free and blissful state of our true being.  True philosophy in Jainism should result in removing all karmic matter.  Right Faith or Samyak Darshana, Right Knowledge or Samyak Jnana, and Right Conduct or Samyak Charitrya is the only sure and eternal means of liberation. Right Faith consists of seeing the real nature of things truly. Jainism says that one should first try to know, comprehend, and grasp the nature of one's self.  Then one should analize it, examine it, and then if satisfied this will bring right faith. From the practical point of view, one should have faith in the Six Universal Substances and the Nine Tattvas.

Six Unversal Substances:

1. Jiva - Soul  
2. Pudgala - Matter  
3. Dharma - Principle of Motion  
4. Adharma - Principle of Rest  
5. Akasa - Space  
6. Kala - Time

Nine Tattavas:

1. Jiva - Soul  
2. Ajiva - Non-Living Being
3. Asrava - Coming in of Karma
4. Bandha - Bondage of Karma
5. Punya - Virtue
6. Papa - Sin
7. Samvara - Stop the coming in of Karma
8. Nirjara - Get rid of accumulated Karma
9. Moksha - Liberation

Right Knowledge is the true, correct, proper, and relevant knowledge of the Tattavas.  Right knowledge makes us examine in detail the matter brought into mind by right thought.  Right knowledge must be free of doubt and delusion and should have a positive attitude.

Proper, appropriate, and truly natural conduct, of the soul is known as Right Conduct.  The main purpose for a person is to free himself from attachment of Karma.  That is from all impure activities of thought, word, and deed.  This will attain the state of perfection.

This resolves into taking the five vows of an ascetic.

1. Ahimsa - Non-Violence  
2. Satya - Truth  
3. Achaurya - Non-Stealing  
4. Bhramacharya - Chastity  
5. Aparigraha - Non- Possession

Along with the five great vows monks strive after the ten-fold virtues of a self controlled ascetic.

1. Kshama - Forgiveness  
2. Mardava - Humilty  
3. Arjava - Candour  
4. Nirlobhatva - Non-Covertousness  
5. Akinchana - Poverty  
6. Satya - Truthfullness  
7. Sanyama - Self-Restraint  
8. Tapasya - Austerity
9. Soucha - Purity
10.  Bhramacharya - Chastity

For those who want to remain in a family life and for whom complete avoidence of the five principle vows are difficult these twelve vows have been described.

Five Anuvratas

1. Ahimsa Anuvrat - practice non-violence to an extent  
2. Satya Anuvrat - practice truthfullness to an extent  
3. Aucharya Anuvrat - practice non-stealing to an extent  
4. Bhramacharya Anuvrat - practice chastity to an extent  
5. Aparigraha Anuvrat - practice non-possesion to an extent

Three Gunavratas

6. Dik Vrata - space limit to sins  
7. Bhoga-Upbhoga Vrata - time limit to sins  
8. Anartha-Danada Vrata - no frivilous activities

Four Sikshavratas

9.  Samayika Vrata - meditation  
10.  Desavakasika Vrata - limiting sins to a particular day of the week  
11.  Pausadha Vrata - live the life of a monk for a day

Besides the five great vows for monks and the twelve vows laymen. Jainism lays great emphasis on observance of the Five Samitis and Three Guptis.  These vows are all part of right conduct.

The Samitis and Guptis are:  

1. Iriya Samiti - To walk carefully forward as not to cause harm towards any living being.
2. Bhasa Samiti - Toavoid the eight faults of speech:  anger, pride, deciet, greed, laughter, fear, talkativeness, and slander.
3. Esnna Samiti - To search and obtain food and articles and use them in a faultless manner.  
4. Adana Nikshepana Samiti - To lay down or take up an article of use very carefully so as not to endager the life of a small creature.
5. Utsarga Samiti - To dispose of waste items in a sanitary condition.
6. Mana Gupti - To gaurd mind from impure thoughts.
7. Vachana Gupti - To gaurd speech from sinful thoughts.
8. Kaya Gupti - To gaurd body from sinful activities.

The best way for exhibiting the rules of conduct for the Jain layman is to make clear the eleven stages of his life or the Eleven Pratimas.  But before a layman can go on to the Pratimas he must pass through two preliminary stages.

1. He must have faith in Jainism.  He must study the doctrine and believe in it thouroghly and sincerely.

2. Then he must become what is called a Pakshika Sravaka a layman intent on the following the path to salvation.  His duties are:

1. To have faith in Jainism.  
2. To abstain from intoxicants.  
3. To abstain from meat.  
4. To abstain from fruit which is likely to contain insects.  
5. To abstain from taking food at night.  
6. To drink filtered water.  
7. To abstain from gambling.  
8. To follow the five main vows.  
9. To abstain from hunting.  
10.  To abstain from adultery.  
11.  To perform religious excercises daily.  
12.  To abstain from any business related to killing a living- being.

Once he has suceeded in following these rules he then goes on to the eleven pratimas.

1. Dasana - A true Jain must be perfect, intelligent, well reasoned, and have faith in Jainism.
2. Vrata - He must observe the five anuvratas, the three guna- vratas, and four siksha-vratas.
3. Samayika - He must worship regularly for forty-eight minutes three times daily.
4. Poshadhopavasa - He fasts regularly.
5. Sachittaya - He refrains from taking vegetables.
6. Ratvi Bhukta-Tyaga - He must not take food at night.
7. Bhrama-charya - Chastity
8. Arambha-Tyaga - abondonment of worldly engagements and occupations.
9-11 The remaning three stages are a preparation to the monks life.  their names are Parigraha-Tyaga, Anumati-Tyaga, and Uddistha-Tyaga.  Together they enjoin a gradual giving up of the world and retiring into some very quiet place to acquire the knowledge of truth and ultimately become fit to be a teacher to the Path of Liberation.

The Path of Liberation emphasizes that Right Faith and Knowledge will bring about Right Conduct.  The path is very simple to understand in the beginning a person can decide to what extent he wants to follow the path, and continue to improve towards perfection.