Acharya Tulsi
Birth and death are two points of life. Birth is a natural event. It is possible to exercise discretion in life. Living beings are destined to be born. There are some driving forces behind life. Living a life is one thing, but following a philosophy in life is a different thing. Everyone lives, but not all people are capable of following a living in the light of a philosophy of life. It can also be concluded that everyone's life cannot become a philosophy of life. While thinking about the philosophy of life, some questions naturally emerge: What is life?
- Why is there life?
- What should be the goal of life?
- How should one live?
- Does life end at some point or does it continue?
- Whose life becomes a philosophy?
- What is Life?
The foremost question is: What is life? According to one view, coordination of the five elements of nature is called life. When the five elements combine there is life and when they dissipate, there is death. The body is the basis of life. Any element like consciousness finds no place in it, because it is not something to be seen by the eye.
If life is defined on the basis of the Jain philosophy, it can be seen in following form: Life is the combination of the body, the senses, life-breath, the mind, the emotions, mental attitude and consciousness. In this, the combination of both the inanimate and the animate has been accepted. The existence of the soul is traikalik.[1]It is intimately related to life. It has been connected with the karma shareera, from times immemorial. So long as this combination continues, the soul cannot manifest itself in its real form. If an ordinary person recognizes the existence of the soul, it is only on the basis of the visible elements like the body, the senses, etc.
The second question is: Why is there life? Whatever is born has also to live. This is related to plain vital or the vital breath. So long as the vital breath, which sustains life does not deplete, no one can kill anyone. A person may suddenly die. Some other person may survive even after a terrible accident. Some people see this as God's wish. If it is God who protects people, why would he let anyone die? Why would God be reluctant to protect the special individuals who are useful to the society or the nation? There are many other similar facts which raise doubts about the interference by any divine power.
The first intake of food at the time of the birth from one life to the other is called ojahara[2] which is related to the vital breath which sustains life. Life continues as long as the ojahara, the vital breath sustaining life persist. No living being remains alive once the life span is over.
The Goal of Life
As far as the question of the goal of life is concerned, that question does not arise in the case of the creatures possessing one to four senses. This is because those creatures lack the state of consciousness which can determine any goal. Even among the creatures that pose the five senses, those belonging to the infernal, subhuman categories and the gods do not have any great goal before them. It is only the human being that determines a goal with the help of his intellect and sense of discretion. The immobile creatures and those having incomplete senses do not possess the mental faculty and they cannot think at all. Animals and birds can think and understand to a certain extent, but since their power of discretion is not awakened, they cannot think anything in depth. The infernal creatures suffer so much torture that their consciousness becomes almost benumbed. As far as the gods are concerned, they are given to luxuries of life. Their attachment to physical comforts cannot be related to any lofty goal.
Man's brain is highly developed. All the new discoveries that are made or being made are all man's contribution. In material terms, the gods live at a higher level. Still, their having an outlook that would lead to new development is matter of doubt.
Those who live with negative feelings in spite of being human beings and are terrorized by the curse of affluence or poverty are not doing anything great. The greatest goal is the goal of moksha. Only man can fix such a goal for himself and attain it.
How should we live?
Some people live without any goal at all. They live because they have to live. Such people do not adopt any particular style of living. They are never faced with the question about how they should live. Those who have before them the goal of living an artistic or meaningful life, seriously consider the above-mentioned question. They do not like to live in despair or frustration. They have before them a particular way of living. They think even if we cannot become a deodar tree on the top of a mountain, let us at least be a plant in the valley. If we cannot spread light like the sun, let us at least be a lamp. If we cannot become a royal road, let us at least be a pathway. Let us learn to do proper planning, so that every moment of life acquires a meaning. Let us develop positive feelings. Let us be unanimous in every situation. Let us seek happiness in the midst of misery. Instead of getting caught in the web of ambitions, let us endeavor in the natural course. This type of thinking indicates a special way of living. Those who resolve to live in this manner are able to achieve something.
How Long Does Life Persist?
According to the Jain philosophy, life is related to bio-potentials and vital energy. Bio-potential means the body-power created at the time of the birth. The life force which requires the body-potential is the vital energy. The bio-potentials are six and vital energies are ten. First of all the power to eat food is created, which is related to life-breath. So long as there is food, there is life. Once the ojahara ceases, the end of life is certain. The other power is the physical power, which is related to the body-power by breath. It can also be described as the vital energy of the body. The body-power of the senses is related to the five vital senses. The body's power to breathe is related to the capacity to breathe. The body power of language is related to the vital power of speech. And the mental power is related to the vital power of the mental abilities.
Man's life does not depend entirely on the soul nor does it depend entirely on the body. Life is sustained when the soul and the body combine. These are the only means available to every creature in the world. With that, the beginning of the journey of life is made, but it does not lead to a philosophy of life. For that, both that combination and the practical application are needed.
The combined activity of the mind, the speech and the body is yoga. That activity may be good or bad. The activity done with a sense of discretion is a good activity. The same thing can be explained by saying that the activity done with a view to spiritual development is a good activity. The activity done from a material or physical point of view is not a good activity even if it is acceptable from the practical point of view. Nonetheless, if it is guided by a sense of discretion, its appropriateness cannot be doubted.
Sentience means the functioning of pure consciousness. This can be related to knowledge or to philosophy. Consciousness regarding sentience is the consciousness about the khshayikbhava[3]and khshayopashamikbhava[4]Knowledge and intuition attained through the khshayikbhava, one type of kevalaknana[5]and kevaladarshana[6]. The remaining knowledge and intuition constitute the khshyopashamikbhava. These include the four categories of knowledge matijnana[7], shritajnana[8], avadhijnana[9]and manahparyavajnana[10]and the three categories of philosophy—chashikudarshana[11]achakshudarshana[12]and avadhidarshana[13]
Yoga means activity. In other words, it may be said that yoga is the original source of our activity and sentience is its refinement. The life in which yoga is regulated by sentience can be called the best life.
Where does Life End?
Many viewpoints are at work in the definition and discussion of life. It is necessary, therefore, to keep in mind those viewpoints, while discussing the end of life. If the definition of life based on seven levels like the body, the senses, etc. is accepted, then it can be said that the combination of the body and the consciousness is life and their separation is the end of life. Even after the disintegration of the physical body, the soul attached to the world remains tied to the subtle bodies. The subtle bodies create once again the physical body and the journey of life is resumed. Life which is sustained by the bio-potentials and the vital energy also restricted within a definite time span. At one point, the capacity of the body-power and the vital breathe gets exhausted. This process continues till the soul or consciousness does not attain the state of purity.
Whose Life can Become Philosophy?
The life of those, who live an exceptional life, artistic and enlightened life, becomes philosophy. Among the individuals whose life has become philosophy, Mahavira is our ideal. He determined a goal in his life. He adopted the path suited to that goal, and followed it with complete faith. His life became philosophy.
Mahavira was not born in any unusual manner. His childhood was spent like an ordinary child. Till he entered his youth, there was nothing extraordinary in his life. He lived one kind of life for twenty-eight years. However, his life in the following two years strengthened the background of his determined goal. He gave a new turn to his life at the age of thirty years. Turning his back to his family, royal palace, grandeur of the royal life, he wandered alone for twelve years. His aim was to practise the samayiksadhana. Samayik means being unanimous and steady unto oneself in all situations. He lived a life with equanimity. Later Mahavira said:
"When the individual maintains his equilibrium in the five mutually opposite situations, gain and loss, happiness and misery, life and death, condemnation and praise, respect and insult, his life becomes a philosophy.[14]"
Again, he said:
"When the individual is free from the apprehensions regarding this life and the other life, who regards the ratchet and the anointment of sandalwood as the same, and is indifferent whether he gets his meal or not when he is hungry, his life becomes a philosophy.[15]"
Preksha the only Way
Mahavira's philosophy of life is the philosophy of equanimity. How can everyone accept it as his life-philosophy? This is a very important question, because everyone is not capable of becoming Mahavira and performing sadhana. But even those who cannot perform difficult sadhana need not despair. For them Preksha is the simple path to follow. Preksha means seeing. Seeing oneself in depth. Just seeing. He, who has learnt to see, has learnt preksha. The one who has learnt Preksha can live with a sense of equanimity and can make out his out of life a philosophy.
