We
are fooled by our senses. We see and believe whatever we perceive through the
senses. To approach reality we need to purify our vision and the point of view
to see the world as it is in real. In the pre-historic and ancient times some
people tried to approach reality and they did. For that they did chose
meditation and restrained all the five senses to realize their self. Shri
Krishna has said that, “The enlightened is aware where the ignorant is
sleeping, and the ignorant is aware where the enlightened is sleeping.” That
does mean the enlightened has perfect vision and he is not aware where the
ignorant is absorbed, the subject of five senses.
To
understand reality we need to understand the nature of the cosmos. Everything
in this cosmos has dual nature. I have written about the six eternal Substances
earlier. Nobody has created them and nobody can destroy them. These are Soul,
Matter, Motion, Rest, Space and Time. All are independent and none depends on
another. If we see through senses then we realize that all depends on each
other. We have identified our self as human body. Animals have identified their
self as their present body, like cow, lion, monkey etc. But actually this body
is the Matter, the second substance. We are the souls that is another substance
which has no relation with matter and the rest of four substances. Even there
is no relation between every soul. To get rid of this confusion we have to see
through higher stand point. It is known as The Absolute Stand Point. From the
Absolute Stand Point substances will appear as they are. But this is still not
absolute reality. There is one more stand point called The Practical Stand
Point. Whatever we see and believe right now comes into this stand point, like
I am body, I born once and dies once; I can do others’ welfare and can hurt or
kill others. Every substance can do other’s work also comes in this stand point.
Both stand points are real.
Going
deeper into thinking we find two more stand points called The Substantial Stand
Point and The Modal Stand Point. To know them we need to know the nature of all
substances. All the six substances are with attributes like, Substance, Essence
and Modifications. A substance undergoes changes but still maintains its
eternity and Essence. The change is called modifications and is seen through
the Modal Stand Point (Paryayarthika Naya). The eternity and essence that
remains same is seen through the Substantial Stand Point (Dravyayarthika Naya).
This is strange nature of all substances. For example, when we light up a
candle then we think that the fire has emerged and when we light it off we
think that the fire is vanished. But actually it has not! Our observation was
through the Modal Stand Point. From the Substantial Stand Point the fire is
still there in the form of atoms. All was the scientific process. The atoms
that went into process created fire still exist and they were existed before
the fire emerged. In this case the atoms are seen through the Substantial Stand
Point and the fire is seen through the Modal Stand Point. The atoms are
substance (Pudgal according to Jain terminology) and the fire was their
modification (Paryay). Same thing can be
observed in the soul substance. The pure soul (free from karma), which has no
mass, no color, no taste, no smell; no touch is seen from the Substantial Stand
Point. And the soul as seen from the Modal Stand Point appears to be in humans,
animals, plants, insect etc forms.
Every
substance has dual nature, Special and General. Both are present in a substance
in all three times (past, present and future). The Special nature is their various
modifications which are seen through the Modal Stand Point and the General
nature is the basic substantive qualities that remain same, unchanged that can
be seen through the Substantial Stand Point. The soul is the knower-seer and
the rest of all substances have no consciousness so are called “Jáda”
in Jain terminology. The soul has two visions called general and special.
Seeing through General vision we find all substances are eternal and unchanged.
Seeing through Special vision we find all substances as always changing and
momentary. The single vision is not perfect and is not taking an individual to
ultimate realization. We can’t say that substances are only eternal. We can’t
say that substances are only transitory. Such statement will be single faceted.
The truth is multi faceted and can be expressed by integrating all stand
points. So by just opening our single vision of consciousness we can’t approach
reality. To approach the truth we have to open both visions together and such
vision is called the perfect vision. If a pot made of clay breaks then the one
who has perfect vision will say the pot is broken as well as it is not.
If
observing all souls in this cosmos by opening the substantial vision what will we
see? We will see all souls alike (by qualities). And what will we see if we
close the substantial vision and open the modal vision? We will see all souls in
various forms like plants, humans, animals, insect, and microorganism and so on,
because all the souls are absorbed in their present modification. Now what will
we see by opening both eyes together? We will see the souls’ both General and
Special forms together. For example, I am the pure soul but I am right now
absorbed in my human modification. Human modification comes from within but
this human body is not mine. In my perfect vision I see that modifications and
my soul (the substance) are united. The modifications are infinite but all
comes from within (my own soul substance). Right now, in present birth I am in
human modification. In the next birth I will be in other modification but my
soul substance will remain unchanged. Same
thing can be observed in the non living substances like Matter, Medium of
Motion, Medium of Rest, Space and Time. Attachment and aversion arise because
of our orientation towards modifications only. Thus we have divided people,
places into so many relations and names. We say, my father, my son, my mother,
my wife, my home, my country and thus we becomes attached to them and whenever
we depart from them we feel with aversion. Thus we further accumulate karma
particles and keep wandering in the mundane world. Adopting the perfect vision
we can easily get rid of attachment and aversion and can progress in spiritual
meditation.