In "A Lamp of the True Light," written in 1976 for Sunrise Magazine, under the guardianship of the Theosophical University Press, Eloise Hart introduces the basic principles of the Jains, including the three jewels and activities to be avoided on the development of awareness of one’s true nature.
The Core Jain Principle
According to Hart’s article, the religion and understanding of the Jains is built upon ‘universal equality – of the identic and innate spirituality of all that exists.’ Furthermore, ‘the teachings of Jainism explain comprehensively that nature is united in cosmic kinship, a brotherhood, a Oneness of man and sun, of gnat and burgeoning tree.’
Hart groups her descriptions of the Jain concepts into the pattern of threes in her article. That is, there are three vows a householder makes, there are three ways of understanding the religion, there are three evils to destroy and there are three ways to obey the Jain commandments.
The Three Jewels of Jainism
The three jewels of the Jain faith are right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
The first jewel ‘right faith’, concerns itself with heartfelt faith and respect for the teachings and the teachers of the Jain religion. These teachers or gurus are called tirthankaras (fordmakers, creating a ford across the river of human misery). Right faith indicates trust and surrender of the ego’s wants for the greater demands of the tirthankaras’ understanding as described in their writings.
The second jewel is ‘right knowledge.’ Right knowledge is again divided into the three receptive areas of a human’s ability to perceive information. Hart calls this a ‘threefold understanding’ and includes the development and awareness of the body, mind and spirit.
Hart writes, the three ways of understanding knowledge must consider the instinctive body, ‘so that one reacts automatically without thought or consideration; intellectual, the mind comprehending clearly intricacies of doctrine; and spiritual, with heart, higher mind and conscience satisfied and at peace.’
The third jewel is right conduct. The behaviour or the Jains must be based on the teachings studied and must try to be positive and compassionate, with the basis of underlying unity and equality of all beings.
Pitfalls Along the Jain Path
It's important to note that Hart considers each jewel inseparable from each other, and writes that the Jains consider a one sided development to be ‘self-defeating and dangerous.’
Having faith in the teachings of the Jain masters is only one dimensional when not married with knowledge and action. In the same way, reading many books about Jains and their religion has very little benefit for the self and others if not combined with faith and action based on your understanding. Knowing becomes purely theoretical knowledge and not the way to follow the Jain’s ideal of oneness of all beings.
By holding the three jewels aloft as the three lights to follow within the Jain faith is the way to find truth and only then can ‘superstitions, blind faith and ignorance’ be destroyed.
Jains and Shamans
According to Hart, the Jains do not permit or approve of shamanic rituals. This includes many of the rituals of Hindus, including ‘bathing in a "sacred" river, walking on burning coals, sprinkling "holy" water or incense, or propitiating "man-made" deities.’
Shamans are interpreters and spokes people for the ways of nature, or the eternal laws of life. Many believe that you must be born into the role of shaman. This goes against the fundamental belief of Jains that all are equal, all are one with God, all are candidates of gaining perfect wisdom through following the correct path.
It states in the Sutrakritanga 1, 12,18 that he who casts "spells for making somebody fall down, rise, yawn; for making him immovable, or cling to something; for making him sick, or sound; for making somebody go forth, disappear, (or come)...They practice a wrong science, the unworthy, the mistaken men."
Under this belief, Jesus’ actions as healer would undoubtedly be seen as shamanic and mistaken. However, we must remember that when the writers of the sutras were alive, there were many abusive forms of ritual taking place in different sects in India. The sutras were often responses to the contemporary questions the Jain’s faith was undergoing at the time.
The Three Jewels Lead to Union with God
Hart concludes her article by casting a lasso around other great writers who have expressed their understanding of their experiences with the mystical ‘union with God.’ Jains live and die with the basis that all is one, and One is all. That is, God is within and without, and to be lead to fully experience this truth, is to gather into the self the three jewels of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
(Unless otherwise stated, all quotations are from Eloise Hart’s article ‘A Lamp of the True Light’)
Tiffany Jones - Born: Black Rock, Melbourne, Australia, 1971 Current Residence: Granollers, Catalonia Work: Yoga, Qigong, Meditation Instructor, ...
