English
“ Having thus pacifted the mind, purified it, made it dirtless, having got rid of miseries, having become blissful, having brought the mind under control, on the destruction of dsavds or impure thoughts, I realized thus:—It is misery, its true hature is known; it is the cause of misery, its true nature is known; it is the preventing of misery, its true nature is known; it is the way leading to prevention of misery, its true nature is known; these are the dsavds, now truly known; these are the causes of dsavds, now truly known; this is the prevention of dsavés now truly known; this is the way of prevention of dsavds, now truly known. When thus I knew, and thus I realised, thought activities oer starha: ator arta, aaa aerate, waa acuity, TI TeTeATA Ts sO, a GTA arent H cheat aaa are vat faaat ararat Sorat, waa ATT aati weaaea Pera ” NIRVANA, MOKSHA OR LIBERATION 5 of desire left my mind, I became free from desires. It was realized by me, that my birth is destroyed, my chastity is fulfilled, whatever I had to do I had done, nothing remained for me to be done. Thus I knew. In this way O Brahman, I procured this third knowledge in the last quarter of the night. Then ignorance fled away, knowledge appeared, darkness was removed, the Light burst 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 Nirvdna, full or partial, is awakened, knowledge shines forth, desires cease to be, the causes of impure thought activity or dsavds are removed. It further shows, that Nirvana is not extinction, but a blissful condition, free from attach- ment and full of knowledge. The words dsava and apramatta found here frequently occur in Jain Literature, where lust, hate and delusion are included in the term dsavds, and it is stated that a monk without carelessness is capable of being liberated. In ‘ Samayasara,”” the Jain Saint Kunda-Kunda- charya, says in the chapter on Asava :— *Ragé ddsd méhédya dsavad nattht sammaditthisa, Tahma dsdva bhavéna, vina hédii na paghchaya hontt. en os ORT at Atel 7 araat afar arafzizer | aan ara aran fam es 1 Gara Atte Il 2% < Il 6 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM “ Lust, hate and delusion, impure thoughts, causing the inflow (of karmas) are not found in a right- believer, therefore in the absence of these Inflow- causing thoughts, the material karmas, in existence with a soul, can never be the cause of bondage.” The Jain Saint Kula-bhadra-Acharya says in his ‘ Sarasamuchchaya ”’ :— *Inan bhavanaya — sikta nibhritenantardtmana, Apramattam gunam prapya, labhanté hitamatmanah. “Those who are engaged in meditation of true knowledge, come to know the inner self, and having got rid of carelessness acquire the goal of the soul.” Majjhima-nikaya, sattipatthana suttam (the tenth). describes four kinds of concentrated meditations as helpful to Nirvana, (1) meditation upon the _transi- tory and impure nature of the body, (2) indifference to pleasure or pain, (3) meditation for getting rid ‘of 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 following words show the result of such meditations. aa aTaaaT fant fraraareacieaa: | AIA YT ITT, aaa feaareaa: | 22 I NIRVANA, MOKSHA OR LIBERATION 7 ‘Yoht kocht Bhikkhuve ime chattard sati-pattha- née evam bhdaveyya sattadham, tassa duvinnam phalanam annataram phalam patikankham: ditthe va dhamme Anna, satt va upddht sese anagdamitd...evam ayam bhikkhuve maggo sattanan visuddhiya . sakaparidda- vanam samatikkamaya dukkha-domanassavam attha- gamiya ndadyassa adhigamaya, nibbanassa sachchhtkirt- yaya yadidam chattaro satipatthanatit, itt yam tam vuttam tyametam patichcha cuttantt tdamavocha Bhagawa, attamana ti bhikkhu bhagawato bhasttam abhinanduntt. ‘Any monk who thus dwells upon these four meditations even for seven days, will achieve either of the two results: he may realise Nirvana while residing in this body or if the practice is deffective he will not suffer transmigrations. O monks! This is a way for purification of beings, for removal of sorrow and weeping, for freedom from misery and impure mind, for realize ation of Truth, for direct ect. per- ate ater fayaa 2a sare caferagt mq ATaza aaté, aza fea Hara anata asHe RE aT atA quot, ata at saraaa aarmtaar...ca at Aras ant Ada asa AHA aAtamA TFa- AAA ACTA TATA ITAA fasaTAea AlST— faraia alee aa Ala WsAtta a 4,4 aa aa gies aata | 2zAaTaA ANAT ad AAT a fae aTAAT waa aTTArsia | 8 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM ception of Nirvéna—such are these four meditations. They should be believed in as stated. So spoke the Lord. The monks greeted the saying of the Lord with joy.” The above statement clearly shows that Nirvdna is not annihilation but is self-realization. It is the direct perception of the self, it is full and complete pure thought activity. Majjhima-nikdya, Mula pariyaya sutta, /st. This sutra says:—‘‘I am apart from all worldly objects.” It removes delusion. The following extract from it will show that Nirvdéna is something posi- tive, not annihilation. * Yopt so bhikkhave bhikkhu araham khinasavo vusitava katakarantyo ohitabharo anuppatta sadattho sat at fread freq acé dtoraat ataa at HARUM Wlleaaa ATV Awa asad va aaa araz aot fagar atta qara qaraar ata- atatta...... cafe ata a aonfa.....arg... awe a woota...a fRea fq:...aat alata ata attzar...... aaTat she HFVAATE Araraagi vata wataar ata- - aratta...cafa ataa aorta. ..4 fea 2a: az seaeg qa fa ata target wararia yata woacata aanize fayat TATA Beara areata Gat facta faetat ara qftearm agai ara aaa atwagarta aera, 2am ata aa... awaHata eq areal aaa afy- aif : “ehsy CTR par i ah Yeh . Oa ee NIRVANA, MOKSHA OR LIBERATION y " parikkhinabhava sanyojano sammad anna vimutto sopt pathavim mett na na mannatt: tam _ bhikkhave araham samma sambuddho pathvim pathavito abhtjanatt...... pathavim me tt na mannati...... tam kissa hetu: nandi dukkhassa mulam ti iti viditea bhava jati _ bhutassa jara-marananti, tasmadih bhikkhave Tathagato _ sabbaso tanhanam khaya niraga nirodha chaga pati- k nissagga anuttaram samma sambodhim abhisambuddhoti - vadamiti-idamavocha Bhagawa, attamanate bhikkhu _ Bhagavato bhasitam abhinundunti. 4 *O Monks! The monk who is _ worshipful, who has destroyed dsavas, is fully chaste, has done what ‘had to be done, has thrown away the burden, has _ attained truth, has destroyed the bondage of birth, has become rightly learned, is non-attached, knows earth to be earth, and does not maintain that earth j to be his own. In the same way, he knows water as water, fire as fire, he does not maintain that ‘ water is his and fire is his. Because he has become delusionless, on destruction of delusion. In the same way, Tathagata (Gotam Buddha) is also worshipful, has right knowledge, he also knows earth as earth; ~he does not maintain earth to be his own. He knows that Thirst is the root-cause of smisery. Be- coming is cause of birth. The living being suffers old age and death.” : , 2 aly < 10 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM ‘“O monks! This is the reason why Tathagata on destruction of all thirst, being non-attached from. it, having prevented it, having removed it, being freed from it, becomes the right knower, having gained the highest right knowledge. Thus I say. The Lord spoke thus. The monks greeted His saying with joy.” The above statement refers to one who _ has acquired the liberated condition, even when residing in the body. The words Arahanta, khindsrava. vitamoha, are found in Jain Literature also. The qualities of arahanta, have been described by Nemi- chandra, a great Jain Saint in his work “ Dravya Samgraha’’ as below :— “ Nattha chadu ghéikammo damsana suha nana viriya maio. Suha dehattho appd suddho ariho vichintijjo. “ The soul which has destroyed the four des- tructive Karmas, Knowledge-obscuring, Conation-obs- curing, Deluding and Obstructing Karmas and has attained infinite Conation, infinite Knowledge, infinite Happiness and infinite Power, is residing in a fine body. and is pure ; He should be meditated upon as arahanta.” The Jain, Saint Amritchandra-acharya in his Tativartha-sara, uses an expression similar to khind Srava. wu 0 Oh oh CON ee re A Ge Fee acy ast afer Afatasir iio NIRVANA, MOKSHA OR LIBERATION 1] * Janatah pasyataschordhvam Jagat kdrunyatah punah, Tasya bandhaprasango” na sarvdsarva pari ksayat. “On the destruction of all the dsavds, one who knows and sees the world does not become liable to bondage.”’ Vitamoha, which means the same thing as kshinamoéha, is used by him in Samayasara :— + Jidamohassa du jatyad khino moho havijja sdhussa Tatya du khina moho bhannadt so nichchhaya viduhim. “When delusion is destroyed in a saint who has already conquered delusion, then he is called delusionless by the knowers of reality.” Majjhima-nikaya, Artya-pariyesana suttam 26. This sutra shows that Goutam Buddha on leaving home had the company of Alara Kalama, Uddaka Ramputta and on reaching Uruvela he attained know- ledge. The last part refers to Nirvana, which he searched after. .