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A.N. Upadhye (1906-1975) is an eminent Jaina scholar who explored Jaina Concepts in various fields. In his work commentary on 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补-笔谤补办腻艣补, he explained the concept of Jaina Mysticism. As per the study, in the list of modern Jaina scholars, he is the first who presented and developed the beautiful and systematic structure of Jaina mysticism from the study of Digambar sources. In the commentary on 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补-笔谤补办腻艣补 he clearly brings out how mysticism has legitimate place in a religious polytheistic and metaphysical pluralistic system like Jainism.

A.N. Upadhye remarks that 鈥渁n academic question whether mysticism is possible or not in pluralistic system like Jainism is out of court for the simple reason that some of the earliest

膧肠腻谤测补蝉 like Kundakunda and 笔奴箩测补辫腻诲补 have described transcendental experiences and mystical visions to take a practical view. The Jaina 罢墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补蝉 like 峁氠梗补产丑补诲别惫补, 狈别尘颈苍腻迟丑补, Par艣van膩tha, 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补, etc. have been some of the greatest mystics of the world.鈥�^[1] He quotes, 鈥淛aina mysticism is sure to be all the more interesting, if we remember the facts that Jainism is polytheistic and denies the creative function of God.鈥�^[2]

Aspects of Mysticism

According to A.N. Upadhye it is not easy to define mysticism exactly in plain terms. Therefore, he outlines some of the aspects of mysticism that form the systematic structure of mysticism. Some of the aspects^[3] are:

1. First, to a great extent, it denotes immediate, first hand, intuitive apprehension of God. It is a direct experience of the mutual response between the human and the divine indicating the identity of the human souls and the ultimate reality. Therein the individual experiences a type of consciousness of perfect personality. In the mystical experience the individual is liberated and exalted with a sense of having found what it has always sought and flooded with joy.

2. Mysticism, if it is to be appreciated as a consistent whole, needs for its background metaphysical structure containing a spirit capable of enjoying itself as intelligence and bliss and identifying itself with or evolving into some higher personality, whether a personal or an impersonal absolute.

3. If mysticism forms a part of a metaphysic-religious system, then the religious system must chalk out a mystic course of attaining identity between the aspirer and the aspired.

4. The mystic shows often a temperamental sickness about the world in general and its temptations in particular.

5. Mysticism takes for granted an epistemological apparatus which can immediately and directly apprehend the reality without the help of mind and senses which are the means of temporal knowledge.

6. Religious mysticism always prescribe a set of rules, a canon of morality, a code of virtues which an aspirant must practise.

7. Mysticism involves an amount of regard to the immediate teacher who alone can initiate the pupil in the mystical mysteries which cannot be grasped merely through indirect sources like scriptures, etc.

Various Elements of Mysticism in Jainism

Accounting these above various elements of mysticism in Jainism^[4], A.N. Upadhye states that Jaina mysticism turns around two concepts: 膧迟尘腻 and 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻. Here 辫补谤补尘腻迟尘腻 stands for God, though never as a creator, etc. The creative aspect of the divinity, is not the sine qua non of mysticism. 膧迟尘腻 and 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻 are essentially the same. It dwells on the top of the three worlds, never to come back in the 蝉补尘蝉腻谤补, all by himself endowed with infinite vision, infinite knowledge, infinite bliss and infinite power. 膧迟尘腻 has the ability and potentiality to become 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻. The 腻迟尘腻 in worldly state is under karmic limitations, and therefore he is not as yet evolved into 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻. As soon as the 腻迟尘腻 is realized by himself, he is 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻, the divinity. Thus, it is for the mystic to realize this identity or unity by destroying the karmic encrustation of the spirit. This spiritual experience does not stand for a divided self achieving an absolute unification, but the bound individual expresses and exhibits his potential divinity.

Stating about the mystic course, A.N. Upadhye states that, 膧迟尘腻 to 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻 is a course of spiritual evolution; and it is the duty of every aspiring soul to see that it reaches the stage of 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻.^[5] The Jaina texts give elaborate tables with minute details how the soul, following the religious path, goes higher and higher on the rungs of the spiritual leader called 骋耻峁嘺蝉迟丑腻苍补蝉, and how from stage to stage the various karmas are being destroyed. Further he states that during this mystic course the aspirant are warned not be misled by certain siddhis, i.e. (miraculous attainments) the relative mystical experiences, but go on pursuing the ideal till 腻迟尘腻 is realized.

The pessimist outlook of life, downright denunciation of the body and its pleasure and hollowness of all the possessions, which are very common in Jainism indicate the aspirants sick-minded temperament, which is said to anticipate mystical healthy mindedness. About the epistemological apparatus, he states that, in the Jaina theory of knowledge 础惫补诲丑颈箩帽腻苍补, Mana岣�aparyavaj帽膩na and 碍别惫补濒补箩帽腻苍补, are recognized where the soul apprehends reality all by itself and without the aid. Of senses of the three 办别惫补濒补箩帽腻苍补 belongs to the liberated souls or to the souls who are just on the point of attaining liberation with their 箩帽腻苍腻惫补谤补峁噄测补 karma destroyed and thus, it is developed when 腻迟尘腻 is realized. Asserting the part of conduct and moral code of conduct, he states, Jainism is prominently an aesthetic system. Though the stage of laity is recognized, everyone is expected to enter the order of monks as a necessary step towards liberation. As a practical part the aspirant practices 辫补艌肠补尘补丑腻惫谤补迟补, samiti, gupti, 辫补谤颈峁�a丑补, 产丑腻惫补苍腻, etc.

Describing about the spiritual guru, he remarks, a monk devotes major portion of his time to study and meditation; and day to day he approaches his teacher, confesses his errors and receives lessons in 膧迟尘补惫颈诲测腻 or 膧迟尘腻j帽膩na directly from his teacher. The magnanimous saint, the Jaina 罢墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补, who is at the pinnacle of the highest spiritual experience, is the greatest and ideal teacher; and his words are of the highest authority and who are to be worshipped and there are three classes of monks who practise great meditation and realize 辫补谤补尘腻迟尘腻 in order to achieve the great bliss. Other than these are infinite siddhas, i.e., the liberated souls, who have attained self-realization and are to be meditated upon with a steady mind. It is these five paramagurus, i.e., the great spiritual preceptors, that are to be saluted and to whom prayers are offered. Thus, the above clear that Jainism contains all the essentials of mysticism.

A.N. Upadhye, while exploring the philosophy of mysticism discusses different concepts briefly that expounds the Jaina mysticism, such as two standpoints, threefold individuality, nature of 腻迟尘腻, karma, 辫补谤补尘腻迟尘腻, the means to attain 辫补谤补尘腻迟尘腻, great meditation, etc. According to A.N. Upadhye, religion embraces in its connotation on the one hand spiritual and transcendental experience of a mystic of rigorous discipline and on the other a set of practical rules to guide the society and people pursuing the same spiritual ideal^[6]. Due to this aspect of religion and to understand the mystical problem, he states that understanding of both the fundamental point of views, 惫测补惫补丑腻谤补 and ni艣caya naya i.e., empirical and transcendental view point respectively is must. The empirical viewpoint refers to the loquacious level of rationalism, while niscaya refers to the intuitional experiences arising out of the deeper level of the self^[7]. These two viewpoints can be compared to the 辫补谤腻 and a辫补谤腻vidy膩 as mentioned in 惭耻峁囜笉补办辞辫补苍颈峁�a诲 and with institutional and personal, the two aspects of religion as recognized by William James.^[8]

Pointing to the threefold individuality, he states, a mystic project his process of analysis inwards and therein, he realizes the reality of his self by eschewing everything else that has a mere appearance of it. Taking the individual for analysis, he states, to realize the individuality one has to go inwards, and try by the process of meditation to apprehend the sentient personality, which is the internal individuality. When all karmas are completely destroyed by penances, the 腻迟尘腻, the internal individual reaches the plane of supreme individual, eternal and characterised by infinite knowledge and bliss. Supreme individuality is a type, a level of spiritual freedom. The various 腻迟尘腻s retain their individualities even when they reach this level.^[9]

According to A.N. Upadhye the doctrine of 腻迟尘腻 plays an important role in Jaina mysticism. The 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘腻 is latent in 腻迟尘腻. 厂补峁僺腻谤补 and 尘辞办峁�a are the two conditions of 腻迟尘腻. In 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 the potent powers of the soul are obscured by the various karmas, these powers are manifested in liberation where the 腻迟尘腻, becomes 辫补谤补尘腻迟尘腻, dwells all by himself endowed with infinite vision, knowledge, bliss and power, by destruction of karmas. Undoubtedly the constitution of 辫补谤补尘腻迟尘腻 shines with the light of omniscience and experiences the great bliss for which there is no parallel elsewhere.^[10] He further states, to achieve self-realization, the practice of parama-蝉补尘腻诲丑颈 (great meditation) is must. There are two stages of this great meditation the first that of Arahants, wherein the four 驳丑腻迟颈办补谤尘补蝉 are destroyed and where the soul possesses omniscience and all-bliss, etc. and then the second, that of siddhas, where all the karmas are destroyed at a stretch, where infinite 诲补谤艣补苍, 箩艌腻苍补, sukha and 惫墨谤测补 are developed. Majority of the souls are destined for this state; the 罢墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补 devotes some of his time for preaching the religious doctrine while siddha has minded his own business of spiritual realization. He compares these two self-realized souls with activistic and quitistic tendencies of mystics^[11].

According to A.N. Upadhye, these mystic of all ages and countries form an eternal divine society. They may weave out their mysticism with the threads of any metaphysical structure: but they always try to go behind the words and realize a unity of significance.^[12]

For the evaluation or validity of mystical vision, he states,

鈥淭o evaluate mystical visions rationally is not to value them at all. These visions carry a guarantee of truth undoubtedly with him who has experienced them, and their universality proves that they are facts of experiences.鈥�^[13]

Another point he states that, the excessive rigidly of the code of morality prescribed for the Jaina saint gives no scope for Jaina mysticism to stoop to low level of degraded Tantrism. It is for this reason that sexual impulse is considered by Jaina moralists as the most dangerous impediment on the path of spiritual realization^[14]. Thus, Jaina mysticism is pure spiritual experience of self-realization. A.N. Upadhye have sketched a systematic structure of Jaina Mysticism, that imbibes all the aspects of mysticism which makes it strong enough to stand in comparison of worlds other mystical religions.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, p. 47

[2]:

Spiritual Enlightenment, p. 20

[3]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, p. 47

[4]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak 腻飩�a and Yogas膩ra, pp. 47-48

[5]:

Ibid , p. 43

[6]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a, p. 35

[7]:

Ibid, p. 35

[8]:

Ibid, p. 36

[9]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, 笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a, p. 36

[10]:

Spiritual Enlightment, p. 45

[11]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, p. 46

[12]:

Spiritual Enlightenment, p. 24

[13]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, p. 48

[14]:

笔补谤补尘腻迟尘补prak膩艣a and Yogas膩ra, p. 49