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—= NIRVANA, MOKSHA OR LIBERATION 37 The Buddhistic literature describes nirvana as enlightenment, eternal, immortal, peaceful, — blissful, unshakeable, devoid of birth and death, out of mind and speech, free from Asavds, free from craving unattached, defectless, painless, pure, independent, non- material, birthless, the highest condition, island, best, deep, realizable by the wise etc. The same attributes are applied to nirvana in the Jain literature also. All defects, delusion and ignorance found in mundane life are completely destroyed. Only the indestructible nature shines out. From the philoso- phical point of view the nirvana of both the systems is the same. In the Jain scriptures it is further said that the liberated and perfect souls go upward and stay on the top of the universe eternally and their extent is a little less than that of the last body in the meditative posture. This statement has not been found by me in the Buddhistic literature. But the real inherent nature of nirvana in both the systems appears to be the same without any difference whatso- — ever. CHAPTER II EXISTENCE OF THE SOUL Although the Buddhistic literature does not contain an explicit description of the soul, still, if it is minutely searched, it will be found to contain enough to show that the Buddhistic conception of the nature of the soul is the same as is described in the Jain literature. We have shown in the preceeding Chapter that the nirvana of the Buddhists is not annihilation, not total non-existing, but it is something positive. When it is something, the next point to decide is whether it is matter without consciousness or something possessed of inherent consciousness. It cannot be matter; it is not a material substance devoid of consciousness because nirvana is attainable only by one who has right enligh- tenment, through Prajna, self analysis, or self discern- ment. It must therefore be a conscious substance. Rupa (form), sanjna (sensation), vedana (feeling), samskdra (contact) and vijnéna (impure consciousness) are the causes of mundane wanderings. When these causes are all destroyed, what remains is nothing else than the pure Self or the Soul. Whatever qualifications of the pure soul are mentioned in the Jain Scriptures, are the same as are in the Buddhist scriptures attri- buted to the state of nirvana. Nirvana is synonymous, identical with the pure soul. As in the Buddhist EXISTENCE OF THE SOUL 39 literature so in the Jain scriptures also, it is said that in respect of the attainment of nirvana, or the ultimate purity of the soul argument cannot find it, mind cannot feach it, speech cannot describe it. The pure soul is only realizable by the Self. In “Samadhi Sataka”’ the Jain author Pujya- pada Swami says :— qeqe: Waqae aaa Waase | Sada an aze FraHers: | 2 I Yatparaih pratipddyoham yat paran pratipadaye, Unmatta chéstitam tanmé yadaham nirvikalpakah. “The notion that, “ I can be known by the others ”’ or that “I shall make it known to others ”’ is the utter- ing of a mad man like me, because ‘I’ am beyond thinking. (I am only realizable by myself.)”’ In the Jain literature,the description of the soul is given in-a direct manner. In the Buddhist literature though no direct mention of the soul is found, it is described in an indirect way, in the enunciation of Nirvana. In the Jain Literature also indirect mention of the soul has been made in many places. The same author Pujyapada Swami says elsewhere in “ Samadhi Sataka” thus. Sars GaraeaAaaragaeaAay | AeA TIAA AA AMA TATA: I 20 I Sarvéndriyan sayyamyastimiténdntardtmana, Yatksanampasyatobhati tattattvam paramatmanah. 40 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM “After having brought under control all the senses, and after a steady internal insight, whatever is then realized is the true nature of the pure soul.” This worldly being grasps different objects through the five senses and the mind, and is plunged in delusion, lust and hate and is therefore always away from its own Self. If he restrains himself from attending to these six organs, then what is realizable within, is nothing but the pure soul or the ntrvana, Take the case of a man living in a house with six windows. He always looks outside through one or more of those windows, but never looks within. If he would divert his attention away from the windows, and look inside he would see all that is within. In the same way when one becomes non-attached to the six organs and attends within, he finds his own Nirvana or the pure soul within himself. In the Buddhistic Literature, such indirect description is made with the purpose of diverting attention from the Non-self to the Self. There, one is asked to relinquish all the causes of dsavds, i.e. impure thought activities, to get rid of delusion, lust and hate, to follow full chastity, to practise perfect concentration, to have perfect equanimity, to be totally non-attached, and to have perfect meditation. He is asked to have no attachment to transitory conditions which rise and fall. To be non-attached to all the flittering objects, is to be absorbed in one’s own Self. I shall show by quotations from Buddhist Literature, EXISTENCE OF THE SOUL 4+] how one has been advised to be non-attached to the other, the non-self, and to be bent on reaching the goal of Nirvana. Another fact which appears in the Buddhist Litera- ture is that it has not taken up the subtle questions of metaphysics, which stand on the basis of intellect or argument, and has avoided -all controversial points. It has mostly dealt with matters, that may be easily understood by the ordinary public, so that they may easily understand, and try to walk on the Path. It has mostly described four things; (1) What is pain ? (2) What is the cause of pain? (3) What is cessation of pain? (4) What is the means of cessation of pain ? The utility of such description is this that the student is saved the difficulty of discussing different views of different systems of philosophy, and easily engage himself in following the path, with the result that he reaches the same goal, which would have been reached also through subtle metaphysics. On giving deep thought, he gradually understands the subtle philosophy also. We shall take some examples from Buddhist Literature. n | Patthapada Sutta of Digha Nikdya. 1:9. The translation and purport of which has been given in the Hindi book “ Buddhacharya”’ see pages: 189 to 199. “Patthapada asked the following questions of Gautam Buddha (1) Is the universe indestructible ? 6 42 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM (2) Is the universe destructible? (3) Is the universe finite? (4) Is the universe infinite? (5) Is the soul same as the body? (6) Is the soul another, and the body another? (7) Is Tathagata born again after death ? (8) Is Tathagata not born after death? Buddha replied that these questions were not to be discussed. Gautama says in these words, “ Patthapada, they are not useful; they do not lead to virtue; they are not causes of chastity, or self-absorption, nor do they bring non-attachment, nor cessation of miseries, nor they lead to Nirvana; and therefore I do not describe them.” Again Patthapdda asks: “‘ What has the Lord Buddha described :”” Then Buddha says, “ Patthapada: It is misery which I have described; the cause of misery, the cessation of misery, the means of the cessation of misery; this I have described. Patthapada, this is useful, leading to Virtue, procuring chastity or self- absorption, bringing non-attachment, causing cessation of pain, leading to passionlessness, providing knowledge, making intellectual, and leading to nirvana; therefore I have described.” Although, Jain Literature has given a very fine description of the substances, still it. is said that the description is of three kinds Heya, avoidable, Upadeya, adoptable, Jneya, knowable. Out of these three, he who is desirous of liberation, should pay his deep attention first to the former two. He should know what are the causes of misery, and what lengthens EXISTENCE OF THE SOUL 43 worldly wanderings, and then after having understood them properly and without vacillation try to avoid those causes ; and he should also know the means which bring destruction of mundane conditions and lead to mtrvdna and after having understood them properly and assuredly try to adopt those rules. The knowables, he may try to know according to his common sense and intellect. If any subtle matters are not capable of being grasped by his understanding, he should not be sorry or uneasy on that account. Necessary it is to know the avoidable and the adoptable as Saint Nagasena says in his “ Tattvdnusdsand.”’ aTIAATIT ATA aeaeT: PTATAT | ava Porviceicicel FarwTasat ua aa aad are Zafar | AGATA BA Il 2 Il sree waguarazEt sea ga FATIMA Aaa II % I Tapatrayopa taptebhyé Bhavyébyah siva sarmané Tattvam héyamipddeyamiti dvedhabhyadhadasau 3 Bandho nibandhanam chasya heyamttyupa darsitam, Heyamsyadduhka sukhayor yasmadbijamidam dvayam 4. Moksastatkadranam chaita dupadéya muddahritam, Upadéyam sukham yasmddasmadavirbhavisyatt 5. “In order that the deserved ones who are afflicted 44 JAINISM AND BuppuHIsm with the three afflictions of birth, decay and death, may attain the bliss of Nirvdna the principles to be observed are said to be of two kinds, avoidable and adoptable.” 3. “ Bondage and its cause, are said to be avoidable, because these two are the seeds of the avoidable, pain and pleasure.” 4, “ Liberation and its cause are said to be adoptable, because from them will arise the adoptable bliss.” 5. To show what Buddhist Literature has directly or indirectly said about the soul, let us take a few examples. (1) Sanyukta nikaya No. 4, page 400. Avdkata sanyuktam No. 10.