Atman is both a bondage and a source of Moksha
November 1999
By Life Positive
In an exclusive interview with Life Positive magazine, Acharya Mahaprajna, head of Jainism’s leading Terapanth sect, discusses the philosophy of the Jain faith and his own vision for the future
How would you explain the basic principles of Jainism?
Jainism has a sacred book known as Saman Sutra. This contains scriptures written by Lord Mahavira and has been put together by Acharya Tulsi (one of Jainism’s leading spiritual leaders and guru of Acharya Mahaprajna). Jainism is basically atman (soul)-oriented. The main tenet is that the atman is both bondage and a source of moksha (liberation). The individual has to fulfill his karma to achieve moksha: man is responsible for his own happiness and sorrow. God is just a natural part of the universe. Jainism, however, is better known for its principle of non-violence. Acharya Tulsi incorporated another tenet—non-pollution, of the mind, body, spirit and the environment. But the basic philosophy is truthfulness. Jainism has compiled an aachar samhita(code of right conduct), which is codified in the form of anuvrat.
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Why hasn’t Jainism attained the same international stature as Buddhism?
In northern parts of India, even in Karachi and Sind in Pakistan, Jainism is well known. But this faith does not have many followers abroad. The reason is simple. Jainism has tougher rules than Buddhism. Jain monks have to wear a white cloth on their mouths. We also do not touch most things, including money and electronic items.
But Acharya Tulsi did try to liberalize the rules. What are you doing to spread the religion?
To spread Jainism abroad, we have initiated a separate group of monks, called Saman, and nuns, called Samani. At the moment they are around 1,000 in number. According to traditional principles, Jain ascetics are supposed to travel only by foot and are not allowed to use modern technology. But this special group is allowed to travel by air and train. They are also allowed to use computers. As they travel in foreign countries, we have even kept more flexible diet rules for them. However, non-vegetarian food remains taboo. In India, we have begun featuring in religious programs on cable television. We are also planning a series of documentaries on all Jain acharyas, starting from Acharya Bhikshu. Representatives from the Jain community are handling all these projects. The monks do not come into the picture at all.
Are there more male monks than female in Jainism?
That’s not true. In Jainism, there have always been more nuns than monks.
How do you relate to other religious traditions?
We hold regular inter-faith talks. We also organize peace seminars where we invite representatives from various religions to discuss social and moral problems of the world.
Is your vision any different from that of Acharya Tulsi?
Essentially I am working on the same tracks as him. But, of course, as you move along, you discover more avenues of growth.
What would you like to do for the people?
My emphasis is on inculcating strong moral values in our society. But isn’t the concept of right and wrong extremely subjective and time-space specific? There are some absolutes. Take cruelty. We know that hurting someone, be it a human or an animal, is wrong.
What about corruption?
Bribery is definitely wrong. But what else can a person do in today’s society? This is actually a social problem.
What role does religion play in politics?
In ancient times, the two were interlinked. Today, money is the pivot around which society moves. People no longer give religion and faith the same priority.
With few people opting for monkhood, will Jainism fade out?
No. I don’t think it will ever completely vanish. Sacrifice, restraint, and truth are eternal values. Maybe only a handful possess these qualities but they will never be non-existent.
According to Jainism, the physical body is the medium and not the root cause of suffering. The cause lies in the karma sarira, the coded record of one’s past deeds.
Kayotsarg meditation, the core technique of Preksha Dhyan, helps in first identifying the cause of this suffering and then eliminating suffering from both the physical body and the karma sarira by harmonizing body, mind and spirit. Kayotsarg literally means abandonment of the body, coupled with high degree of conscious awareness. But before the mind can be steadied, the body has to be free of tension. So, in kayotsarg, ‘you perceive the self through the self’. Says Acharya Mahaprajna, head of the leading Jain sect of Terapanth: ‘The principle behind it is that this physical body is not mine and I am not just this physical body.’ In practice, it is a conscious suspension of all gross movements of the body, resulting in total relaxation of the physical, vocal and mental make-up of the individual. To practise this meditation, simply follow the given instructions:
• Adopt a comfortable posture to meditate, sitting, standing or lying down. Make this affirmation: ‘It is essential for me to relax to get rid of physical, mental and emotional tensions. I shall devote myself only to this exercise of relaxation.’
• While standing, take a deep breath and stretch yourself on tiptoe, arms above the head.
• Lie down on your back on a folded blanket and repeat the above step. Feel the tension go out.
• Put your head comfortably on the blanket, legs slightly apart, arms along the body, palms turned upwards. Close your eyes.
• Slowly breathe in, the stomach rising while inhaling. Then slowly breathe out, the stomach falling while exhaling.
• Still in the same position, with eyes closed, focus on the muscles of your toes. Concentrate on relaxing the muscles of the right toe. Slowly move to ankle joints, then calf muscles, knees and finally thighs. Repeat the procedure with the left leg.
• From the legs move on to muscles of the lower abdomen at the hip, around the waist and at the base of the spine. Concentrate on relaxing these.
• Relax the internal organs-kidneys, intestines, spleen, pancreas, stomach and liver. · Relax all muscles up to the collarbone.
• Relax the arms. Start with the right arm-first the thumb and fingers, then the palm and wrist. Move on to the elbow, shoulders and shoulder blades. In the same manner, relax left arm.
• Come to the neck. Concentrate on the top, back and muscles supporting the neck.
• Now, the face. Allow the jaw to fall without opening the mouth. Inside, the teeth must be unclenched and the tongue becomes limp. Relax the facial muscles and each ear in turn. With eyelids gently closed, relax each eye. Relax the head.
• Initially, you will sense gravity. Your trunk and limbs will slowly become heavier. Don’t fight this, for consciousness will reveal its existence.
• Once the exercise is over, allow your will to travel over each part of the body, from the head to the feet, breathing regularly and consciously.