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O Wisdomless, for these sinful enjoyments, you should give it up even now, otherwise, 0 Fool, you can never go to Nirvfl-na being freed from the great miseries of this Samsara ” PRAJNA OR SELF-DISCRIMINATION The Buddhist literature has shown the great necessity for Piajna in very strong terms — (1) Hindi Buddha Charya page 415 (D N 1-10.2) Sangita panyayra Sutta There have been described four right spheres — Prajna (discrimination), Sda (practical vows), Satnddht (concentration) and VtinukU (liberation). Out of these four, the last is the result while the first three are the means to Ntrvdiia, and they are included m the eight-fold path Samya^ drtsH, etc During my talks with the learned Buddhist Monks of Ceylon 1 came to know that Samyak drtsti and Samyak wnkalpa am included in prajna ; Samyak Vachana Samyak The Path of nirvaka or Liberation 193 Kamanta, Samyakajiva, Sainyak Vyayama and Sam~ yaksmnti are included in Stla, nhiie Samyak Satilddhi IS Itself Samadhi The Jain scriptures also describe the three-fold path which verj closely resembles the Buddhist three-fold path Samyak darsana and Samyak Jnana of the Jains are included in Prajna, because it means right discrimination such as “ my self is distinct from non- self and all other substances, and that I am only reali- zable alone", while practical Samyak-thdritra of the Jains IS included in Stla and the real Samyak chdntra IS included in Samddht (2) Buddha Chat} a p. 244 D.N 1-4 Sinadanda Suita— It says “ Self-discrimmation is purified by con- duct, conduct IS purified b} self-discnmination When there is conduct there is discrimination ; when there is discnmination, there is conduct , self-discnmination is procured b} conduct, while conduct is procured self- discrimination Still conduct is said to be the foremost of all the self-discriminations Self-discrimination is purified by conduct and conduct is purified by self- discnmination ” Note In fact, practical conduct is necessaiyfor right belief and right knowledge, thereby the mind will become mild and self-discnmmation will appear, while on procuring self-discnmination, practical conduct will S5 194 Jaixtsm axd Buddhism be iinpro\'ed and concentration will arise. Both are the means for concentration. The Jain scriptures also glorify prajna or self- discrimination thus : — Sameiyasara says : — ^ ^ ^ STS g I ir ^ qn g>si T iit n Pamde ghittcwo Jo chadd so aham tu ntchdhhaysdo, Avasesd Je lihdvd U niajjhi puretti nd davsd “That conscious being which is to be grasped by self-discrimination is 1 am ntt'self from the real point of view ; all ,the other conditions are foreign to me— thi** should be known/' Sara Samuclichaya sajs.**— ^ ^ II 'S''. II Prajnd ngand sadd senya purseua sukhd trahd, Heydpddeya fattvajna yarata sarca karmani. “The Malden of sdf-discrimination,whichisalwa}'3 obedient in knowing the adoptable and the ryectable principle in all the actions and is blissful, should alwai? be served by a man/' FOUR MEDITATION'S. The Buddhist literature speaks highly of the four meditations :^-maitre or friendship, pramoda or delight. idrunya or compassion, Upshsa oj. madhyastha or indifference. The Path of Nirvana or Liberation 195 Buddha Charya pa 1S6 M. N. 2. I 2 MaM R&hula-vada sutta (1) Rahula* meditate upon fnend- ship , by such friendl} feelings enmity u ill be destrc^ed. (2) Rahula ' meditate upon compassion , b) compas* sionate feelings, mjunous thoughts will be destroyed. (3) Rahula ' meditate upon delight, by delightful thoughts you will remove dissatisfaction. (4) Rahula* meditate upon indifference, 1^' which your thought of enmity will be destroyed The Jam scriptures also declare that these should be meditated upon by every saint and layman : — ll) Tattvdrtha ^utra by Umaswami says. — n ii Mmtri-pramoda kdrunyamadyas-thani cha satlva gwtadhtka klisyamdnd vtmyeshu 111? “ Friendship towards all the beings, delight towards those great in qualifications, compassion towards the afflicted and indifference towards those who arc perversely inclined ” (2) Samdyika path by Amitagati says; — ^ Sttttvesu maitn gunistt pramodam, KltUit Jtvesu Knpa parattvam Mddhyastha bhdvam viparita vrittau sada mantatne vida dhdttt deva . 1 196 Jainism and Bi-ddhisSi “OLord, let inj soul al\\a}S ha've fnendship towards all the beings, delight tow aids the qualified, compassion towards the afflicted and indifference towards those perverseh inclined * The aboie statements will clearlj show that the eight'fold path of Nirvana in Buddhism quite agrees with the three-fold path of Nirvana in Jainism Both Jainism and Buddhism believe that one can attain Nirvana by one's own efforts, ne\er can it be gnen through compassion by any personal God. Both the religions lay stress on self'discrimmation Both strongly recommend the giving uj) of affection, hatred, delusion Both say that Nirv&na is realizable. Both lay stress on the control of the h\e senses and the mind Both teach relinquishing injury, false>hood, theft, unchascity and desire Both declare that mind, body and speech must be kept free from harmful actions and they should be applied to those useful means which result in procuring Nirvana. CHAPTER IV. KARM\S AND THPtR tRUITb It IS evident from the Buddhist literature that even being evperiences fruits of his good and bad deeds in the ver\ life or in the future life and that the being takes another birth ou mg to Sir/niftirftf or mentation of previous birth ; and that as far as continuation of fi\'e spheres of bodi, feeling, perception, mentation and (impure) consciousness goes on, so long has the being to undergo man\ births and that when all the dsavi^ (impure thought-vitalities) Mill be destrored. Nirvana Mill be procured. Although Buddhist literature does not seem to give clear, direct and detailed descnption of bondage and fruition of Kaimait, still there are scattered passages here and there Mhich show that the writers of the Buddhist literature had in their mind the description of karmas according to what the Jain scripture sa>’s. A metaphysician can know it by devoted and critical study Jain authors say that there are fine karmic molecules made up of material particles floating throughout the universe. Th^ are so fine that they cannot be known In* our senses This mundane soul attracts them according to good and bad thought-aetivi- 198 Jainism and Buddhism ties when performing actions through mind, body and ^leech This is called dsiavd or inflow. Their exis- tence with the soul for some duration is called Bandlia or bondage When these bound karmas arc ripened, the} give agreeable or disagreeable results They can be des- troyed before their npenmg-time b} self-concentration When there is no inflow of karmas through passions, the soul is called K^tndsrava or destro}er of inflow. Thus by checking inflow and by destro}ing the old accumulated karmas, the wjul attains liberation or mdksa or Ntrodna Moksa has been described in Tattvdrtha Mitra b} Umaswami thus — Bandha hetva hhd-oa mrjardbhydm krtfsna kanita vtpra m6bs6 mdksah “ Liberation (is) the freedom from all karmic matter, owing to the non-existence of the causes of bondage and to the shedding of karmic molecules " Before describing in detail the karmic philosophy as given in the Jam scripture, it is advisable to let the readers know those passages m the Buddhist literature vrhidi in short give the description of karmas as is given in Jainism (1) Majjhtm mkaya , deotia stitta sawdsava K4.RMAS AND THEIR FrUITS 199 “ Jsavd tauivard fia/id fawa," is a Pali queS' t!on Which dsraia should be tetnoved bj samvara ^ Here both these uords are the same as in Jainism If their liberal meaning is taken into consideration, th^ would mean that something, which comes, is checked. “Bhikkhu savi'Asava samiara saravuto vihorati" This means that the monk roams while checking all the dsravai (i.e., all the-karmas which had to come were "checked!. (2) Majjhim nikaja bhaja bhairava sutta Chatut* tham. '• VathA kam mupage satte pajatiami ” i.e., I know the beings when thcj ate prone to ripenit^ of their karmas. A*of. Here the word “ kam mupage ” shows that kannas are ripened “MichchhA ditthi kamme sama<- dinft ‘ li e ) having wrong belief karma Note. This passage refers to a class of karma named mithyd-dnsti kannct which is bound b) a wrong beheier (3) Digha NikajTi Vol 111—33, Sangita Suttanta “Tayo r&si— michchatta — ni)ato rftsi, sammatta hiiato risi, anipto r&si." Here the word rrrsi means a collection or group, The passive means “the group of wrong belief only, the group of right belief only, the group of their Uiued.” 200 Jainism and Buddhism These terms refer to three classes of karmic mole* cules as described in Jain scriptures — wrong belief deluding karma is of three kinds, wrong belief karmas, clouded nght belief karma and mixed nght and wrong belief karma ' The uord rasi refers to group of karmic molecules as said in the Jam scripture (4) Buddha Charj-a page 370 Anguli mala sutta (M. N. 2-4 8) 0 Brahmana, you are suffering the fruit of that' karma {karma vtpaka) m the very life, which would have to be suffered for many centuries, manj millenniums in the hell ly you Then the Saint AnguUmaJa, while enjoying the bliss of freedom m self- concentration at a solitary place said the verse which means ” “ He at first collects the karmas and then destrojs them. He is shining in the universe like the moon within the clouds. His acquired bad karmas are covered with good karmas ” Note.