
What is Jainism actually,the goalpost keeps changing(mythology)
What is Jainism?
Jainism is a religion about Ahisma,but no,it's actually a religion about Liberation whose side-effect is Ahisma as Ahisma is inherently true.
Akaranga Sutra says to not make absolutist claims,it does not provide a "reasoning process",Uttarhayana Sutrea says to have faith as does Akaranga Sutra,we are not given a reasoning process to validate what faith is given to us,yet somehow we are ahead of science
Akaranga Sutra doesnt speak too much about Mahavira's interactions with the gods,it speaks of heaven/hell but little about them,Sutrakritanga says there are no divine all-fathers or creators,though it does give us insight into 1 of the hells,still very little on the classifications of living beings(no divisions on senses and number of Souls yet)
Sthanga Sutra really clarifies these alot,I wonder why these weren't mentioned in Akarnaga Sutra. Tattvath Sutra explains alot more,too bad there are sectarian differences in it,and why do Digambers classify time(a physical real world thing) differently than Svetambers if Lord Mahavira actually taught this?
Fast forward about 1700 years,now we have Trishathi Shalaka Purusha Cairitra,a text with Indras and all,why didnt Akaranga Sutra mention any of this?
What am I suppost to actually believe,early scripture(how do we understand the words when nobody speaks Pakrit anymore except by repeating the texts of elders). Early Jain writers didnt seem to care about the exactness of what they wrote as they wrote exposition of what they wrote(6 classes of beings->6 classes+mobile/immobile->6 classes+senses+mobile+nigodas),meaning we are probably literally passing off the words of others as the "undoubtable" words of Lord Mahavira when early writers (possibly) did not view it this way,that combined with "we dont know idioms,expressions,etc"...
If I take delight in truth,why would I read scripture other than for my own Soul(we are told to test our faith in early scripture). I have faith in my Lords as I know what works,all this sectarian NONSENSE is a virus for our Sangha.
A person being eaten by a lion does not care about morality,yet a person who is endowed with reason seems to not care about the person being eaten by a lion and will whine about what words offend him as if words actually matter.
Is it true that if we shed karmas we get knowledge,in my experience harsh pennace does work for "intaking the winds of knowledge", but more importantly,"is it better to die for the "faith"(shradda) in knowledge or to actually seek it by your eyes/hands." Why are we told to ignore the senses? Touching things is a great way to learn about them,to see the things and to look at them. Frankly I dont care about anything except for the truth(which includes the truth of pain) yet oddly I have about 0 respect for any "blah blah blah" words that leaks out of the mouth of a person who doesnt think about the truth(yet by not thinking about it he has no use for the truth of it)
Example of Mythology: Zeus creating the universe
- The greeks said Zeus as a creator
- The greeks got in contact with others(Plato went on an adventure/greek astrology symbols include brahmic script/Uttardhayana Sutra mentions metal coinage by name which was introduced by the greeks(I forget what verse,read a commentary))
- The hindus believed that the TriLoka was formed by splitting an egg and the top/bottom of the egg became heavens/hells and the middle world was in the egg
- The greeks took this idea and called it Chaos and attributed it to Zeus(Zeus apparently formed the universe(from the Hindus) and earth is a gaint tetrahedron or something(from observing the sky)) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_(cosmogony)
- Zeus magically created the earth (after Greeks probably edited Hindu mythology with science obseravations)
Sources:
Evolution of concept of living things in early literature
- Read the first lecture of Acaranga Sutra,6 classes
- Sutrakritanga 11.7/8 mentions mobile/unmobile things (https://www.wisdomlib.org/jainism/book/sutrakritanga/d/doc424301.html)
- Uttardhayana 36(last chapter,probably added later(stylometric analysis)?) mentions a whole load of stuff https://www.wisdomlib.org/jainism/book/uttaradhyayana-sutra/d/doc424246.html
Faith
- Acaranga Sutra Lecture 5 5.3 implies you should just assume what is said,(https://www.wisdomlib.org/jainism/book/acaranga-sutra/d/doc424425.html)
- Uttardhayana Sutra 3 says to have faith as it is hard to attain,(https://www.wisdomlib.org/jainism/book/uttaradhyayana-sutra/d/doc424213.html).
Tassa Miccham Mi Dukkhunam.