The Sacred Books of the Jainas
Author: Sarat Chandra Ghoshal
Publisher:
Published: 1920
Total Pages: 274
ISBN-13:
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A Union List of Printed Indic Texts and Translations in American Libraries
Author:
Publisher:
Published: 1967
Total Pages: 578
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKĀcārya Kundakunda’s Bārasa Aņuvekkhā – The Twelve Contemplations आचार्य कुन्दकुन्द विरचित बारस अणुवेक्खा (द्वादश अनुप्रेक्षा, बारह भावना)
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2021-12-11
Total Pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9355661347
DOWNLOAD EBOOKBārasa Aņuvekkhā – ‘The Twelve Contemplations’ – of Ācārya Kundakunda (circa 1st century BC) contains 91 verses (gāthā). ‘Aņuvekkhā’, ‘aņupekkhā’, ‘anuprekşā’, and ‘bhāvanā’ are synonyms; these terms are used in Prākrit, Apabhramśa, Sanskrit and Hindi languages, respectively. Contemplation means ‘meditating on the nature of the Reality’. The uniqueness of Ācārya Kundakunda’s exposition is that he has described each contemplation both from the empirical (vyavahāra) as well as the transcendental (niścaya) points-of-view (naya). These contemplations help a man practise moral virtues, like forbearance (kşamā), and lead to highly effective stoppage (samvara) of karmas. He who does contemplation observes properly the moral virtues and also endures the afflictions.
Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pravacanasāra – Essence of the Doctrine आचार्य कुन्दकुन्द विरचित "प्रवचनसार"
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2018
Total Pages: 407
ISBN-13: 8193272617
DOWNLOAD EBOOKĀcārya Kundakunda’s (circa 1st century BCE) Pravacanasāra is among the most popular Jaina Scriptures that are studied with great reverence by the ascetics as well as the laymen. Consciousness manifests in form of cognition (upayoga) – pure-cognition (śuddhopayoga), auspicious-cognition (śubhopayoga) and inauspicious-cognition (aśubhopayoga). Pure-cognition represents conduct without-attachment (vītarāga cāritra). Perfect knowledge or omniscience (kevalajñāna) is the fruit of pure-cognition (śuddhopayoga). The soul engaged in pure-cognition (śuddhopayoga) enjoys supreme happiness engendered by the soul itself; this happiness is beyond the five senses – atīndriya – unparalleled, infinite, and imperishable. Omniscience (kevalajñāna) is real happiness; there is no difference between knowledge and happiness. Delusion (moha), the contrary and ignorant view of the soul about substances, is the cause of misery. The soul with attachment (rāga) toward the external objects makes bonds with karmas and the soul without attachment toward the external objects frees itself from the bonds of karmas. The stainless soul knows the reality of substances, renounces external and internal attachments (parigraha) and does not indulge in the objects-of-the-senses.
Ācārya Māņikyanandi’s Parīkşāmukha Sūtra – आचार्य माणिक्यनन्दि विरचित परीक्षामुख सूत्र
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2021-04-18
Total Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 8193272692
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe science-of-thought (Nyāya) has always been an integral part of the four constituents (anuyoga) – prathamānuyoga, karuņānuyoga, caraņānuyoga, and dravyānuyoga – of the Jaina Scripture. Through Parīkşāmukha Sūtra (spelled commonly as Parikshamukha Sutra), Ācārya Māņikyanandi (circa 7th-8th century A.D.) churned the nectar of the science-of-thought (Nyāya) from the ocean of the words of the master-composers like Ācārya Samantabhadra and Bhaţţa Akalańka Deva. The valid-knowledge (pramāņa) ascertains the true nature of objects while the fallacious-knowledge (pramāņābhāsa) does the opposite. Parīkşāmukha Sūtra characterizes, as per the earlier authoritative expositions and in brief, both these (pramāņa and pramāņābhāsa) for the benefit of the uninitiated learners. It is an essential canonical text that every knowledge-seeking householder and ascetic must try to master.
From IIM-Ahmedabad To Happiness
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2006-06-30
Total Pages: 115
ISBN-13: 8190363905
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book is not about academics, not even about success; it is about happiness which we all, in the ultimate analysis, are striving for. The book is for those who have achieved success in their worldly affairs but hold that their role in life is much bigger than just pushing figures, making strategies, and managing men. Happiness, the book suggests, resides not in any outside object, but must spring up from within. Man's search for happiness is a search for a lost or hidden article, not of anything new. Each one of us has the power to regain the lost health, vitality and happiness, provided one develops the right faith, attains knowledge and then follows the right path.
Ācārya Umāsvāmī’s Tattvārthasūtra – With Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2018-11-07
Total Pages: 500
ISBN-13: 8193272625
DOWNLOAD EBOOKĀcārya Umāsvāmī’s (circa 1st century CE) Tattvārthasūtra (spelled commonly as Tattvarthsutra or Tattvarthasutra), also known as Mokşaśāstra, is the most widely read Jaina Scripture. It expounds the Jaina Doctrine, the nature of the Reality, in form of aphorisms (sūtra), in Sanskrit. Brief and to-the-point, Tattvārthasūtra delineates beautifully the essentials of all objects-of-knowledge (jñeya). Sarvārthasiddhi by Ācārya Pūjyapāda (circa 5th century CE) is the first and foremost extant commentary on Tattvārthasūtra. Sarvārthasiddhi is an exposition of the reality – the true nature of substances, soul and non-soul – the knowledge of which equips one to tread the path to liberation, as expounded in Tattvārthasūtra. There is beginningless intermingling of the soul (jīva) and the non-soul (ajīva) karmic matter. Our activities (yoga) are responsible for the influx (āsrava) of the karmic matter into the soul. Actuated by passions (kaşāya) the soul takes in particles of the karmic matter; this is bondage (bandha). Obstructing fresh inflow of the karmic matter into the soul – samvara – and its subsequent separation or falling off from the soul – nirjarā – are two important steps in attaining the infallible, utterly pristine, sense-independent and infinitely blissful state of the soul, called liberation (mokşa).
Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pańcāstikāya-samgraha – With Authentic Explanatory Notes in English (The Jaina Metaphysics)
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2020-02-23
Total Pages: 436
ISBN-13: 819327265X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPańcāstikāya-samgraha or Pańcāstikāya-sāra (known briefly as Pańcāstikāya and spelled commonly as Panchastikay) is one of the four most important and popular works of Ācārya Kundakunda (circa first century B.C.), the other three being Samayasāra, Pravacanasāra and Niyamasāra. The original text is in Prakrit language and contains a total of 173 verses (gāthā). Pańcāstikāya means ‘five-substances-with-bodily-existence’ and these are: the soul (jīva), the physical-matter (pudgala), the medium-of-motion (dharma), the medium-of-rest (adharma), and the space (ākāśa). These five substances collectively constitute the universe-space (loka). Outside this universe-space (loka) is the infinite non-universe-space (aloka), comprising just the pure space (ākāśa). The substance-of-time (kāla dravya) which renders assistance to all substances in their continuity of being through gradual changes is not an ‘astikāya’ since it occupies a single space-point and, therefore, does not possess the characteristic of body (kāya). Pańcāstikāya-samgraha expounds the Jaina metaphysics – the philosophy of being and knowing – including the nature of the pure soul-substance (jīvāstikāya) which is integral to the seven realities (tattva), the nine objects (padārtha), and the six substances (dravya). While the substance (dravya) never leaves its essential character of existence (sattā), it undergoes origination (utpāda), destruction (vyaya) and permanence (dhrauvya). There is inseparable association between the qualities (guņa) and the substance (dravya). The discussion relies on the ‘doctrine of conditional predication’ (syādvāda) and the ‘seven-nuance system’ (saptabhańgī), as expounded by Lord Jina.
Ācārya Guņabhadra’s Ātmānuśāsana – Precept on the Soul आचार्य गुणभद्र विरचित "आत्मानुशासन"
Author: Vijay K. Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2019-09-23
Total Pages: 290
ISBN-13: 8193272641
DOWNLOAD EBOOKĀtmānuśāsana (commonly spelled as Atmanushasan) by Ācārya Guņabhadra presents profound concepts of the Jaina Doctrine in a form that is easily understood. Remarkable for its poetry and meaning, it expounds that right faith (samyagdarśana) is the cause of merit, and wrong faith of demerit. To have belief in the true nature of substances is right faith. Dharma is the man’s most excellent possession. The conduct that leads to merit is dharma and it results in happiness after destroying misery. Whether happy or miserable, dharma should be the only pursuit of man. True happiness is not the momentary sprinkling of the pleasures of the senses. Long-life, wealth and sound body are obtained from the previously earned merit (puņya). Under the spell of sinful karmas, the man experiences misery. Excellent men with discrimination work hard, incessantly and cheerfully, for the sake of their future lives. The happiness attained through austerity (tapa) can never be attained by craving for wealth. No dust of disgrace ever touches the feet of the man fortified by austerity. The ascetic goes on to perform austerity while protecting his body, for a very long time. Through the power of austerity he vanquishes his natural enemies, like the passions of anger, etc. In the after-life, he automatically and speedily attains liberation as the culmination of his human effort.
