English
18, 21, 25, and 27 are in Sanskrit and are mduded m Tattvanusasanadt Sangraha, Manekchand Grantha Mala No. 13. Nos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, and 33, ate translated into English also and can be had from (1) The Jam Publishing House, Ajitashram, Lucknow (Oudh) (2) Jam Publishing House, Bijnor (UP.) (3) The Jama Mission Society, 436, Mint Street, Madras. JAINISM AND BUDDHISM CHAPTER I Nirvana, Moksha or Liberation •THE meaning of the word Nirvana is evtinction. ^ while the word Moksha means “ liberation." Ex* tinction of the mundane condition is Nirvana, and liberation from the same is Mokxha. Both the terms thus contain and express the same idea. It is gene* rally supposed that Buddhism preaches the philosophy of “ transitoriness " or “ destruction , " that it does not believe in the indestructibility of the soul or in the permanence of Nirvana It is this supposition which has led to' the general notion that the word Nirvdfia means total destruction or annihilation. The old Pali books of Buddhism, however, show that the Nirvana of Buddhism is not "annihilation,” but is a positive condition of the soul As a result of elucidative discussions with -the Pnnapals of the Vidjalankar College, Kelaniya, and the Vidyoda}a College, Coloinbo, (Ceylon) and with the English*educated Buddhist Monk, Narad Maitrej’a of Vajrarama Bambalpitija (Ceylon), as well as with other Buddhist monks of Ceylon, I have come to know that Nirvana is neither annihilation nor non-existence of the soul, but that 1 2 J\iX[SM AM) Buddhism It IS an indescribable condition. Reljing on the des- cription of Nirv&na, as gi%en in the Pah books, the} strong!} maintain that Ktrv&na is not annihilation. The " Hindu Organ,’ Jaffna, (Ceylon) dated the 19th Ma}, 1932, contains an article on the subject of Nirvana by. the Buddhist Monk B Anand Maitre}’a, Belangoda, (Ce}lon) Therein sa}s fhe learned monk : — Nirvana ts not notJnngnest As regards those thing's vhtch do not tend to freedom from sorrow, the Buddha vas s^ent This ts because hts only atm was to lead the suffering vorld to real happiness. Ntrodna fs holiness. Though it ts neither this nor that, Ntrodna fipt nothingness, yet it is a third posstbtlity." In “ Buddhist \\’iMom, The mj^sterj- of the self" Geotge Gnmm (Munich, Germany, akademi- estrasse 19/11) sa}'s — “ It is charactensltc of modem materialism to have chosen the first altemativej ijuat of absolute annihila- tion, despite the Buddha*s repeated assurances that he does not teach aniUhilation, but on the contrary, shous a liiay to the Imperishable, the Deathless " (Page 86). Again he sa}s — “The Buddha further explains and teaches that extinction applies onlv to the three “flames" of lust, hate and delusion (the three kinds of thirst for sensation) and for this reason he defines Nibbdnam, the goal of sainthood, as Tanha Nibbdnam, literall}, the extinction of thirst. The hoh life with the Nirvana, Moksha or Liberation i sublime one is Ined for the extinction of craving.” (Page 57 ) In Majjhima Nikdya Bhaya Bhatrava Sutta 4th, in the Pah language, we find that Gontam Buddha has shown how he advanced himself and then declared that Nirvana is not extinction, but is a blissful condition The Pah text is — * ” So euim samahtte dhttte pansuddhe panyoddte anangame wgatupakkilese midubhute kamntamye thtte amjjapatte dsavdndm Hhaya ndndya chttam dbht- ntnitattustin so • — tyaw dnkkbatitt yathd ^hutam abhannasttn ayam dukkhasamadayott yathahhutam abitannamt ayam dukkha ntrodho ti yathabhutam abhanna^m, jyam dukkha mtrodha-gatmnt pahpada H yathabhutam abhannavm , tme dsava tt yathabhutam abhannasttn, ayam dsava-wm.idayoft yathabhutam tmuipr arvpmirt^, 8iRrar% TOSp sw- wnfe. 8T?r8r ^ir- gninp^ M 4 Jaimsm and Buddhism ttbltefMUzsttn, ayam asaia^ntrodho H yafhabhafam abhan- ttastm, ayam asata-nirodha-gamiiit patipada ti yafha' bhutam ahhannamm; tassa me evam jdnerto ecani passato katnasavapi chittam vimvchchttha vtmuHasmtn vimuttam th nanam ahosi ; khina jdfi, vustfam brahm- ckariyam, katam haraniyam ndparam iffhatlhayali abhannastm, ayam kfto me hrahmana rafttya pachhhne yame tamo vihato aloko uppanno, yatha tarn appamat- tassa dtdpino pahitattassa viharto" An English rendering of the te\t ^^ould be a foUo^vs. “ Having thus pacified the mind, purified It, made it dirtless, having got nd of misenes, having become blissful, having brought the mind undei control, on the destruction of dsavd^ or impure thoughts, I realmed thus;— It is misery', its tme ngi'ure is known ; it is the cause of miserv. its true nature is hnoini; it is the preventing of misei>', its true nature is knonn; H is the way leading to prevention of misei^', its true nature is knowm : these are the dsavds, now truly known, these are the causes of dsavds, now truly known ; this is the prevention of dsavds now truly known ; this is the way of prevention of dsavds, now truly known. When thus I knew, and thus I realised, thorght activities fiiTof grtlfir ; ^foiT tTPR ggcg wi Kf sw ^ tnpir ^ Nirvana, Moksha or Liberation 5 of desire left m} mind, I became free from desires It was realized by me, that my birth is destro>^, m} chastit}' is fulfilled, whatever I had to do I had done, nothing remained for me to be done. Thus 1 knew In this wa} 0 Brahman, I procured this third knowledge in the last quarter of the night Then ignorance fled aw a}, knowledge appeared, darkness was removed, the Light burnt forth, just as is possible to a wandering monk who is free from carelessness, IS alert and absorbed in meditation of the Truth" The above description shows that when the thought of Nirvana, full or partial, is awakened, knowledge shines forth, desires cease to be, the louses of impure thought actmt} or daavds are removed It further shows, that Nirvdna is not extinction, but a blissful condition, free from attach* meat gnd full of knowledge The words dsava and apramatta found here frequently occur m Jam Literature, where lust, hate and delusion are induded in the term dsavds, and It IS stated that a moiik without carelessness is capable of being liberated In “ Samayasara," the Jam Saint Kunda-Kunda- charya, saj’s in the chapter on Jaavd — *Rdgd dSsd miliSya dsavd nattht sammaduthisa, Tahma dsdva bhdv&na, vtm hedu napackchaya hbnfi ^ gf anw i ft jAIKIbM BtJDDHlSM Lust, hate and delusion, impure thoughts, causing the inflou (of karmas) are not found in a right- heliever therefore in the absence of these Inflon- causing thoughts, the material karmas, in existence with a soul, can never be the cause of bondage.” The Jam Saint Kula-bhadra'&chana sajs in his “ S&rasamuchcha}'a ” . — * Jnan bhdvanayd sikfd nibhtttemniardimana. Apramatfam guftam prdpya, labhanti httamdtmanah “Those who are engaged in meditation of tnie knowledge come to know the inner self, and having got nd of carelessness acquire the goal of the soul ” Majjhma-ntkdya, satupafthana suttam (the tenth), describes four kinds of concentrated meditations as helpful to Ntrvdna, (1) meditation upon the transi- tory and impure nature of the body, (2) indifference to pleasure or pain, (3) meditation lor getting nd ot lust, hate and delusion, and for acquisition of non-attachment, (4) meditation on the different natures of things, such as, upon the nature of the causes of troubles and dsrava, upon the nature of the impurity caused by sensual enjoyment, and upon the nature of self absorption. In the last part of this Sutra, the folloiving words show the result of such meditations. 3BWW gor snr, ferU Ti wq : li ii Nirvaka, Moksha or Liberation 7 * “ YoAt kochi Bhtkihuve urn cliattarb satt-^attM- iti evam bhdveyya sattdham, tassa ditotmtam ^lanam amataram phalam pahkattkham dtttbe xa dhamme Anna, xatt va upddht me andgdmttd evam ayam bhtkhhuve ntaggo sattdnan vtsuddktya saJiapandda^ vanam samatikkanuiya dukkha-domanassavatn attha- gamdya ndyassa adhigamdya, ntbbanassa sachchhtkm- yaya yadtdam chattaro satipaftkanatt, tit yam fain xuttam lyametam paftcfudia vuttanti tdamavocha Bhagatca, attamand ft bhtkkUu bhagavato bhdattam abktnandiintt. “An} monk who thus dwells upon these four meditations even for sei'en da}s, will achieve either of the two results he may realise^ Nirvana whi|e residing in this bod} or if the practice is deffective he will not suffer transmigrations. 0 monks' This IS a wa} for punlication of beings, for removal of sorrow and weeping, for freedom from miser}' and impure mind, for realization of Truth, for direct per* aitq i i T ff Waw re g a t qnilW -<(1^^ tTRT MiHuci WET I awaff 31^ II a Jainism and Buddhism ception of ^firvdna — such are these four meditations They should be beheved in as stated So &poke the Lord 'file monks greeted the saying of the Lord with joy " The above statement clearly shows that Nttvdna IS not annihilation but is self-realnsation It is the direct perception of the self, it is full and complete pure thought activity Majjhtma-iukdya, Mtdapanydya suttg, 1st This sutra says — am apart froiji all woridly objects ” It removes delusion. The following extract from it will show that Ntrvdna is something posi* tive, not annihilation * Y opt so hhtkkJiav^ dhtkkhu ardham khimsavo vttsUava katakaramyo olvtfahharo anitppatta sadattho amnr sr^- rT*nf^ . ^ 5T ?nroif^T .