www.jainworld.com |
THE PATH OF ARHAT |
Justice T.U.Mehta |
Enlightened Consciousness
Religion for an Indian, is experience or attitude of mind-principles tested in life. It is not an idea, a bare intellectual exercise or a mere logical conviction. It is rather an enlightened consciousness, a power, a spiritual force which can be felt not only by the person who possesses the same but also by all those who come in his contact. It is, as Dr.S.Radhakrishnan puts it :-"Intuition of Reality (Brahmanubhava), Insight into Truth (Brahma Darsana), Contact with the Supreme (Brahma Samsatkara) and Direct apprehension of Reality (Brahma Saksatkara).
All religious systems of India have emphasized that language and logic are incapable to reveal to use the real dimensions of the Reality, apprehended only by experiencing it. For this reason all the Indian systems have considered philosophy and the actual lining of their philosophical principles as the integral and inseparable parts of the ultimate knowledge. They have, therefore, provided humanity not only with metaphysical theories but also with a mechanism to operate them and have exhorted people to test these theories in practical life.
Jaina seers, in conformity with their Indian tradition, have pointed out the methodology by resorting to which the five principles discussed in the foregoing chapter can be put into practice.