Dr. N.L. Kachhara
The first step towards liberation is to stop the influx of karma. The arrest of the influx of karma is called inhibition. This involves the inhibition of causes that allow the influx of karma. Accordingly, inhibition is fivefold: right faith, abstinence, absence of remissness (i.e. vigilance), absence of passion, and absence of activity.
Right faith consists of firm conviction in the truthfulness of the tenets propounded by the omniscient Tirthankara. This is the essential condition for inhibition. The ultimate verification of truth is possible only by the Omniscient; one has to accept his perception as a matter of faith until self-realization takes place. Right faith is attained due to the subsidence, destruction, or subsidence-cum-annihilation of wrong belief-deluding karma or with self-realization when moving on the path of spiritual progress. Right faith is characterized by tranquility, fear of transmigration and desire for salvation, and becoming free from worldly sufferings, detachment, compassion, and spiritual belief. Right faith is inhibited by doubt about the ultimate goal, craving for a false goal, praise for the opponents of the right goal, and association with these opponents. A person who is desirous of right faith (and the right goal) has to overcome these inhibitions and accept scriptural knowledge.
Complete compliance with other causes of inhibition is possible only for ascetics who have renounced worldly pleasures. A layperson engaged in a worldly life is not in a position to fully comply with the strict code of conduct required for such attainment. Abstinence consists in the renunciation of sinful propensities, sinful activities and internal cravings. Renunciation follows the stage of right faith. Remissness is contemplation of the self: that is, full awareness of the self. Absence of activity is possible only for an Omniscient person in the last stage of his life.
There are six ways to accomplish the prevention of karma bonding. Four out of these six, Gupti, Samiti, Dharma, Anupreksha, are possible, to some extent, for a lay householder; the other two, Parisahajaya and Charitra, are possible only for ascetics. Gupti consists of properly restraining the mental, vocal and physical faculties. In simple terms, this means that an individual has to control his or her mind to expel negative thoughts and direct it to the spiritual welfare of the self and society; control his or her speech so as not to hurt others, even in fun or humor; and control the body so that no harm is done to anyone. Samiti consists of maintaining vigilance while moving, speaking, acceptingarticles, moving any object, and disposing of bodily waste (excreta). Samiti thus means taking the utmost care while transacting the business of life and ensuring that no violence is committed during daily activities. Gupti and Samiti are closely related; they together constitute the eight main precepts mainly prescribed for the monastic orders, but laymen can also observe them to some extent. Lay people should also remain vigilant while undertaking activities.
Purification of the mind is of the utmost importance in a spiritual life. A pure mind can acquire virtues that were absent earlier. In an impure mind, virtues that are present also lose their effectiveness. Hence a wise person must first try to purify his or her mind. Without purification of the mind, penance and the practicing of vows amount to punishing the body and do not serve any significant purpose in advancing the devotee on the path toward emancipation.
Dharma indicates the attributes that constitute a spiritually purposeful religion. These attributes are forgiveness, mildness, straightforwardness, purity, truth, self-restraint, austerity, renouncing, absence of possession, and celibacy. Dharma is more than ethics in the normal sense; it is directed towards the purification of the soul by inculcating virtues that will prevent the individual from doing anything that bonds karma. Forgiveness necessitates the spirit of forbearance and a sense of equanimity. Mildness means humbleness, which is a prerequisite of forbearance. Straightforwardness denotes the absence of crookedness, deceit, duplicity, etc. and a positive sense of sincerity and honesty of purpose. Purity means cleanliness, the removal of the attachments that pollute the soul. Truth means verbal truth, the absence of ambiguity, etc. Self-restraint implies the restraining of the five sense organs, the observance of the five major restraints described above, the overcoming of the four defilements, and the restraining of mental, verbal and physical faculties. It stipulates refraining from every activity that hurts the true self. Austerities are of two kinds: external and internal. Fasting, eating less than one's amount of hunger, limiting the variety of food one consumes, exercising control over tastes, living alone, and facing hardships constitute the external austerities. Repentance, modesty, service, self-study, renunciation and meditation constitute the internal austerities. Renunciation can be of two types: external and internal. Giving up worldly possessions is external renunciation. Giving up one's attachment to sense objects and overcoming one's cravings, aversion, anger, animosity, arrogance, etc. constitute internal renunciation. The absence of possession is a refinement of renunciation. This emphasizes giving up the desire for possessing rather than merely giving up tangible objects. Celibacy is not only non-indulgence in sexual pleasure but also staying within the Self and being attuned to the soul. We see that dharma is a long, prescriptive code of conduct that may be difficult for a householder to comply with. In fact, some of these provisions are really meant for ascetics. For example, a householder may not be in a position to observe all of the restraints, fully undertake the austerities, renounce to a large extent, or entirely give up the sense of belonging. A householder is also required to have a controlled sexual life to maintain the family. The basic idea here is that a householder should try to follow the dharma to the extent that is possible and always attempt to advance his candidature towards perfection. The more the better, because it reduces the influx of karma. The strict observance of the rules of dharma is only possible for ascetics.
Contemplating evanescence, helplessness, worldliness, aloneness, otherness, the nature of the universe, the rarity of right guidance, and the tenets of the Lord constitute Anupreksha. An individual should not lose sight of these basic truths; remembering them reminds one of the pains of worldly existence and maintains one's determination to proceed on the path toward emancipation.
Parishaha consists of bearing hardship for the sake of staying on the right path and eliminating the bondage of karma. Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, insect bites, living in an unclad state, despise, seduction, moving about, maintaining a steady posture, sleeping on a rough bed, bearing reproaches, injury, going for alms, facing disadvantages, disease, thorny grass, dirtiness, honor or awards, intelligence, nescience and failure to comprehend are the main hardships. These twenty-two hardships are not prescribed for laymen; they are relevant only to monks in the initial stages and their number reduces as spiritual progress is made. Only eleven hardships remain in the Omniscient stage and none in the liberated state.
Charitra means putting the precepts into practice. The term is, however, used only in the context of monastic life. The first requirement of monastic life is gaining equanimity. This is when a person realizes that he/she is in a position to observe equanimity and maintain peace of mind and is initiated into the monastic life. As a monk, the person undertakes special types of penances and austerities. With spiritual progress, the monk overcomes all types of defilement except for very subtle, wholesome attachments. Finally, the monk reaches a stage of total detachment. Parishaha and charitra are equally important for the inhibition and shedding of karma. These advanced practices are primarily prescribed for ascetics, but a householder may also follow them to the extent that is possible.
Inhibition is essentially a mental phenomenon. It is concerned with engaging the mind in the path to emancipation, the realization that worldly pleasures are temporary, and that true pleasure lies inside and is the property of the soul. This realization may come from knowing the precepts of the Tirthankara by reading scriptures or from listening to the sermons of a monk or guru. In this stage, the soul has the right faith and engages in stopping the influx of karma. The six ways of inhibition enable the soul to firmly settle in its resolve to dispense with karma and engage in activities to accomplish its objective. Though gupti and samiti involve physical activities, they are directed towards making the mind strong enough to resist any temptation towards carelessness that might promote an easy and convenient way of living, which hinders spiritual progress. Dharma consists of prescriptions for a disciplined life that prepares the soul for next stages of inhibition, Parisahajaya and Charitra. This also involves mental preparation for the difficult life ahead. Anupreksha continuously reminds the soul of the reality of the world and keeps it on track to achieve the ultimate objective. The mind is the biggest power influencing the soul and can go in either a positive or negative direction. All of these measures for inhibition rule out the possibility of moving in a negative direction and keep the soul proceeding in the positive direction that is necessary to stop the influx of karma.
The process of inhibition involves a chain of interactions between the subunits of the living system. Vibrations produced in the mind, either directly or by vibrations produced in the brain through physical and verbal activities, interact with the karma body either directly or through the fiery body. Major interactions take place with the psychical karma, which influences the soul and prevents it from indulging in activities that bind karma. Therefore, the mind has the most important role in the process of inhibition.
