Jaina ethics is directed toward the
liberation of the individual. Its orientation is therefore religious.
Its end is the spiritualization of all areas of life in order to fit the
individual for his final goal, Its primary precept applicable to kind and
commoner alike is, Do your duty and do it as humanly as you can.
Jainism permits no separation between
religion (Dharma) and morality because both are concerned with the
well-being of the individual in the world in keeping with his own nature.
The word Dharma signifies the nature of things (vatthu sahavo dhammo). It
is the law which �leads, binds, or takes back a being to its essential
nature; enables it to realize the divinity inherent in itself; helps it to
extricate itself from the misery of mundane existences and reach the state
of supreme beatitude.� All beings seek happiness and try to avoid pain
and loss. The practice of Dharma enables them to achieve this end. In
the words of the well-known Acarya Samanta Bhadra, �Religion is something
which takes the living beings out of the worldly misery and establishes
them in the highest bliss.�
This interconnection between religion and
morality imparts to Jainism its distinctive feature. H. S. Bhattacharya
finds the insistence of Jainism on spiritual motivation �the foundation�
of all true religion and ethics and thinks it may well serve as �the basis
of a universal code of moral and religious acts.� The uniqueness of
Jainism �Lies not only in emphasizing this all important condition of all
religious and moral activities but in justifying their position by looking
upon morality, not as an adjunct to human nature, but as part and parcel
of it.�
The connection between religion and morality
is often missed because Jainism delineates the pathway to spiritual
perfection through the practice of yoga and demarcates stages of
self-realization, but the roots of that perfection are in the soul of
everyday life. We have first to learn to live a good life in this world
and then we can go higher to spiritual perfection. In order to exclude
none from the need for moral discipline, Jainism has formulated two levels
of religious existence: one which sets moral standards for laymen, and
one for monks.
For one who sets out on the path toward
perfection, Jainism presents the practice of ten great virtues. They
are: Supreme Forbearance, Humility, Straightforwardness, Perfect
Truthfulness, Purity, perfect Self-restraint, Austerity, Complete
Renunciation, Nonattachment, and Celibacy. These virtues are to regulate
thought, speech, and action. They are an essential part of Jaina ethics,
and are like �ten inextinguishable lamps� which illuminate the path of the
beginner.
