THE ATTAINMENT OF
SAMYAKTVA.
Kg. I 57a,113a, II 107a,
200b; Kp. 161b et seq.; Ps. 1139 et seq; Lp. III 596 et seq.
The spiritual development
is conditional upon the elimination of the mohaniya-karmans. As the
realization of a mohaniya-k causes the bandha of a new karman of the same
kind which is, in addition, still provided with a great sthiti, the
binding of new mohaniya-k cannot be hindered by a good state of mind. The
reduction of k has to be achieved in another way: three processes (karana)
must be undergone for this purpose, psychical conditions all of which only
last during the fraction of a muhurta. Five-sensed, reasonable, fully
developed beings of all 4 states of existence are qualified for the
karanas, beings which have an activity of body, speech and mind,
formaliter differentiated knowledge and one of the 3 best lesyas; their
state of mind ought to be one of sufficient purity. These bind, one
muhurta before the beginning of the karanas, the best possible karman-species
but no ayus because they are too pure for that. They reduce the anubhaga
of the 4th degree of bad prakrtis to one of the 2nd degree, convert the
anubhaga of the 2nd degree of good prakrtis to one of the 4th degree, and
bind s sthiti of, at the utmost, a fraction of sagaropama kotikotis.
During the 1st process "yathapravrtti-karana: they continue to do so and
increase in purity from moment to moment. This process can be repeated
several times--even by abhavyas--it leads, however only to the goal, if
the other karanas follow it.
The 2nd process (apurva-karana)
augments again the purity of the jiva. It consists of the following 4
processes: sthiti-ghata, rasa-ghata, guna-sreni and anya-sthiti-bandha.
Sthiti-ghata is destruction of the duration of karman: in every moment
portions of the sthiti ate annihilated, so that the sthiti is at the end
of the process considerably smaller than at the beginning of it. With the
decrease of the duration of the k already existing, there simultaneously
takes place the bandha of the sthiti of the new karman ; this sthiti is
likewise considerably smaller than before. By rasa-ghata is to be
understood the reduction of the intensity of the existing karman;
gunasreni (comp. Kg. II 79b) means the expulsion (viracana = samnyasa) of
karma-pudgalas; the number of the eliminated atoms increase from moment to
moment to an incalculable extent. With this karana the "knot" (granthi)
within us (i.e. the disturbances of belief and conduct, residing in the
heart) is split, then the road is open to spiritual progress.
In the next--following
3rd process (nivrtti-karana), sthiti-ghata, rasa-ghata, guna-sreni and
anya-sthiti-bandha again take place. When a calculable part of the karana
has ended, the jiva divides the sthiti of mithyatva by intercalation of an
interval (antara-karana) into 2 portions. The 1st part of the
mithyatva-sthiti lasts for fractions of a muhurta, the 2nd comprises the
remainder. Whilst the 1st sthiti realizes itself, the jiva is still a
mithyadrsti; but as soon as the 1st moment of it has passed, the jiva
enters into the antara-karana and possesses in its duration, which only
lasts antarmuhurta, the aupasamika-samyaktva. The cause of it is, that all
mithyatva-matter which falls to this interval, is gradually eliminated and
attributed to the 1st and 2nd sthiti, so that when the soul arrives there,
it finds no mithyatva-pudgalas that could be realized. "For, as a
forest-fire, when it reaches a place where all inflammable material has
already been consumed, is extinguished, so the forest-fire, consisting in
the realization of the mithyatva, ceases when it has reached antara-karana".
During this state the jiva makes 3 heaps of the mithyatva-matter contained
in the 2nd sthiti: and impure one (for mithyatva), a semi-pure one (for
samyag-mithyatva) and a pure one (for ksayopasamika-samyaktva). As long as
the aupasamika-samyaktva lasts, through the process called gunasamkrama,
matter passes from mithyatva to samyaktva and samyag-mithyatva. As soon as
it cease, one of the 3 heaps achieves realization, viz., according to the
state of mind mithyatva, samyagmithyatva or (ksayopasamika) samyaktva. If
during the last 6 avalikas of the aupasamika-time an anantanubandhin
kasaya bursts forth, the jiva attains sasvadana-samyaktva, whence he
immediately sinks back again into mithyatva. The entire process was in
this case of quite short duration and without lasting effect for the
spiritual progress of the jiva. If, however, the semi-pure heap reaches
udaya, the soul attains the mixed belief, and is in the 3rd gunasthana. In
this the soul remains for the fraction of a muhurta and then reaches
samyaktva or mithyatva. Finally, those who acquire ksayopasamika-samyaktva
become aviratas, desaviratas or sarvaviratas.
For beings of all 4
states of existence who possess the lower belief, the separation (visamyojana)
of the sat-karman of the anantanubandhins is possible. This is achieved,
similarly to the obtaining of samyaktva through these 3 processes; in
anivrti-karana no antara-karana takes place. A further progress, however,
is not practicable for a ksayopasamika-samyagdrsti, he cannot reach beyond
the 7th gunasthana. If the wishes to proceed further, he must attain
aupasamika or ksayika-samyaktvam, and must cast off in a methodical way
the remaining mohaniya-ks. The two ways which cause a systematic reduction
of the active sat-karman will be shown in the two following paragraphs.
The upasama-sreni.
Kg. I 60, II 105a et
seq., 189a et seq., Kp. 171b et seq., Ps. 1158 et seq.
Upasama means:
acquiescing, calming down; he who practices the upasama of karman is
capable of governing himself to such an extent that the karmans cannot
manifest their effect. The heaped-up satta-k is suppressed, so that it
cannot manifest itself, but it is not totally eradicated; it is,
therefore, still existing in a latent state and can break out again
occasionally. If the suppression of karman is undertaken in a systematic
way in a certain succession, an upasama-sreni is existing, a series or
scale, which finally ends in a complete suppression of all mohaniya-ks.
The upasama-sreni can be "ascended" by an avirata, desavirata, pramatta or
apramatta; in the regular course it reaches its end in the
upasanta-moha-gunasthana, as then the suppressed passions break out again
and the jiva "falls down" from the sreni. In the following I give a short
description of the different stages of which the upasama-sreni consists. I
restrict myself, however, to that which is most necessary, as a detailed
exposition would extend beyond the scope of this work.
An avirata, desavirata,
pramatta or apramatta makes the 3 karmans and suppress thereby the
life-long passions. Thereupon he suppresses the 3 disturbances of belief
and through that now reaches permanent aupasamika-samyaktva. When this has
happened, he proceeds to the upasama of the still remaining mohaniya-ks.
For this purpose he again performs the 3 karanas: the 3 karanas: the
yathapravrtti-karana falls into the apramatta-gunasthana, the apurva- and
the anivrtti karana, into the gunasthanas named after them. If a
calculable part of the anivrtti-karana has passed, the jiva performs an
antara-karana of the 21 remaining mohaniyas. Then he successively
suppresses, within the fraction of a muhurta, the 3rd sex, then the female
sex, then joking, liking, disliking, sorrow, fear and disgust; then the
male sex, then simultaneously apratyakhyavarana and pratyakhyanavarana
anger, then the flaming up anger. Thereupon follows the suppression of the
2nd and 3rd degrees of pride and of the flaming-up pride; then that of the
2nd and 3rd kinds of deceitfulness and of the flaming-up deceitfulness,
and here upon that of the 2nd and 3rd kinds of greed. Then the flaming-up
greed becomes divided into 3 parts; the 2 first of these the jiva suppress
simultaneously, the 3rd he divides into a measurable number of pieces,
which he suppresses gradually piece by piece. Through this he has become a
suksma-samparaya. When the last little piece of greed is suppressed, he is
an upasantamoha. In this state he remains, in the maximum, antarmuhurta,
in the minimum for one samaya. As soon as this time has passed, he falls
down from this gunasthana. This "pratipata" follows from 2 causes: either
through bhava-ksaya, the termination of the existence, i.e. the death of
the individual, or through addha-ksaya, the expiration of the time
possible for the upasanta-moha-state. If a jiva dies in this gunasthana he
is reborn as an Anuttarasura-god, consequently falls immediately from the
11th into the 3rd gunasthana. If he does not die, at the termination of
the upasanta-state the separated ks are taken up again, and thus he
becomes finally a pramatta, under certain circumstances also, a desavirata,
avirata, or even a sasvadana.
The upasama-sreni lasts
only antarmuhurta; it can be ascended twice during an existence; if this
has been the case, salvation during that life is impossible. If, on the
contrary, it is only once ascended, the individual has still the chance
after the downfall of reaching the ksapaka-sreni which leads to nirvana.
The ksapaka-sreni.
Kg.I,61a, II, 111b et
seq., 205b et seq.
The ksapaka-sreni is the
ladder leading to the annihilation of karman. He who has ascended it,
extinguishes successively the different species of the satta-k., becomes
in the end altogether free from karman, and thereby attains salvation.
Only a person exceeding 8
years of age, endowed with the best firmness of the joints, who is in one
of the gunasthanas avirata, desavirata, pramatta or apramatta, is capable
of beginning the ascent on this sreni. He annihilates, by the help of the
3 karanas, firstly the anantanubandhins, then the 3 species of disturbance
of belief. If he has bound ayus and dies before mithyatva is completely
annihilated, he can, in his new existence, eventually bind anew the
anantanubandhins; because the germ of them, unbelief, is still existing.
If, however, mithyatva is annihilated, this is impossible. If he has bound
ayus, but does not die immediately after the annihilation of the 7
mohaniyas, he is satisfied with what he was attained, and for the moment
does not undertake any effort in order also to annihilate the other
karmans. He must then still experience 3 or 4 births before he is
released.
If, however, he has
reached the sreni without having bound ayus, he proceeds, after the
destruction of the 7 mohaniyas, immediately to the annihilation of the
still remaining mohaniyas. For this purpose, he performs the 3 karanas, of
which the first falls into the apramatta-gunasthana, the two others into
the gunasthanas called after them. During the apurva-karana he beings
simultaneously with the annihilation of the 4 apratyakhyanavarana- and
pratyakhyanavarana-kasayas. When these have half disappeared, he meanwhile
annihilates 3 veilings of undifferentiated cognition, viz. the 3 worst
kinds of unconsciousness, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-sensed class of beings, warm
splendor, cold luster, and fine, common and immovable body. Then he
annihilates what still remains of the two kasaya-species. Then follows the
ksaya of the 3rd and female sex, of joking, liking, disliking, sorrow,
fear, disgust, male sex and of flaming-up anger, pride and deceitfulness.
When this has happened, he leaves the anivrtti-gunasthana and enters into
that of the suksmasamparaya, where he successively annihilates the flaming
up greed, divided into little pieces. With the disappearance of the last
particle of greed, all passions are destroyed and the summit of the sreni
is reached; the jiva is now a ksina-kasaya. In the penultimate samaya of
this gunasthana he annihilates the two lightest kinds of sleep (nidra and
pracala), in the following samaya the 5 veilings of knowledge, the 4
veilings of undifferentiated cognition and the 5 hindrances. Thereby he
has become a sayogi-kevalin, who is still wandering for a time bodily on
earth, but thereafter attains salvation.
