Scriptural View of Ever -Open Gates of Conversion to Jainism
By D. S. Parmaj
Jainism as preached and propagated by a galaxy of Twenty four Jaina Prophets including Lord Mahavira, the last spiritual Hero of the series, afforded full scope for any one and every one to practice Jaina Faith. Even later Jaina Sages and Saints, ancient Jaina Teachers and Tirthankars, tried to keep wide open the doors to conversion, but in course of time either owing to the onslaught of other religious or paucity of real scholars or due to indifference of half' baked Gurus or preceptors, including the priest-craft, a misconception appears to have arisen that a non-Jaina cannot embrace Jainism. This supposed closure of the Gates of conversion has adversely affected the spread of Jainism during the last few centuries.
Though Islam was transplanted to Indian soil some before the Moghul regime in the seventeenth century or so, it was patronized by the then Muslim Rulers of India, with the result that so many Indians became converts to Muslim religion. Similarly in the nineteenth century British Rulers patronized their own religion, namely Christianity, and as a result, so many Indians were proselytized into Christian faith. Thus followers of Islam and Christianity, though of recent growth in India, have numerically outnumbered the followers of the ancient Jaina faith to an enormous extent. I do not for a moment suggest that mere numerical human strength of any faith should be taken as a yard-stick to measure the real values of its underlying principles and teachings. My only endeavor is to point out to my readers how later followers of Jainism have failed to spread its real glory and its immortal, nay, universal tenets, far and wide by admitting freely into their fold and social intercourse people, though non-Jainas by birth but true Jainas by faith and conduct. It is a sheer misnomer to term a person as a real Jaina simply by his birth in a particular caste. Ancient Jaina Teachers never admitted any caste system as a kind of barrier to the acceptance of Jainism by non-Jains by birth.
The learned author, A shadharji, in his famous work called Sagara-Dharmamrta i.e. Nector of Householder's religion has exhorted every house-holder to create virtuous and learned Sages and Saints in order to perpetuate Jaina Faith, as it is an universal benefactor for all beings, animate and in-animate, in Verse No. 27 of Chapter II because sages and saints cannot be created out of jungle but only out of householder's society. So also in chapter 2 Verses 20 and 22 he points out how even a low born non-Jaina can easily become a real Jaina by cultivating necessary virtues. He means to say that even non-Jainas, though born unfortunately in low uncultured family or cast, can by his inherent good qualities raise himself to the status of a virtuous Jaina Saint or Sage. He further points out that even an untouchable, i.e., a person born in a low cast becomes fit and qualified to follow Jaina faith and its principles, if he observes purity, cleanliness in his clothes, residence and daily conduct, for a man's body, dress, place of residence are not inherently impure. Low birth or social status is no barrier to embracement of Jainism.
Cleanliness is next to goodliness. A pure mind can usually dwell in a pure body, as they are vitally connected with each other. A person according to circumstances is capable of developing his spiritual personality irrespective of his man-made social status or low birth (Kala-labdhi).
Another Saint writer called Samantabhadra observes in his memorable work called Ratnakarand Shravakachara i.e- bejewelled casket of householder's code that a person, however low his social status or birth, if gifted with Right Faith (conviction) is like a god akin to the fire hidden in ash.
The very basic conception of the word "Jaina" is expressed in Sanskrit meaning thereby that those are the real Jainas, who maintain as their ideal conquest of enemies in the form of evil desires and of undue attachment to worldly possessions leading finally to the perfect condition of soul in its essence. There is no personal god according to Jaina theology. It is only the highest and noblest virtues necessary for enabling a householder to conquer all evil desires and selfish instincts, that deserve to be adored or worshipped. The Impersonal conception of godhood according to Jaina teaching is sought to be expressed by a Jaina Saint writer called Bhattakalanka poetically which may be rendered into English as under:
"One, who has understood the whole universe and universal principles, fit to be comprehended, one who has crossed through the farthest end of this ocean in the form of transitory and perishable Householder's worldly life Samsara i.e. has become once for all freed from the ever-rotating wheel of birth and death; one whose teachings are unassailable from the beginning, (or without any conditions) incomparable, and faultless, I pay homage to such liberated Being, who is fit to be adored even by sages and saints and who is a veritable repository of all virtues and who is free from eighteen defects or faults such as birth, death, hunger, thirst, jealously, anger, pride etc. Let such a Being be called by whatever name one pleases either as Buddha, Mahavira. Lotus-seated Brahman, Kesava (Vishnu), or Siva (the last three being popular terms of godhood in Hindu Mythology). Name assigned to such a liberated Being does not matter in the least, but verily His (Vitaragatva) disattachment, Omniscience and beneficent teachings shape the destiny of humanity." As Shakespeare describes the futility of a mere name in Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet says of Romeo "what is there in mere name? A Rose by any other name smells as sweet"
The conception of Divinity as evolved by Jaina Teachers appears to be not only noble but acceptable to any reasonable and dispassionate thinker of any age or any country. Is it not strange but true that the Jaina Faith, whose teaching and philosophy, though unassailable for all time to come, has unfortunately remained behind a closed gate when especially in the modern age of warring political and economical ideologies, Jaina teaching can offer an easy solution, if properly interpreted and propagated? Is it not high time that the teaching of Jaina prophets, who even renounced their roya, pomp and grandeur, and revolted against human and animal sacrifices offered in the name of religion and tried to put down evil superstitions and customs not by violent means but by their never failing teaching of non-violence and truth should be circulated amongst all the suffering humanity in the world?
Every Jaina householder is advised to recollect each morning before he starts his day's activates a Sanskrit Verse which rendered in to English means: "O Lord, my-self or Spirit be such that I may have love for all beings, joy but not jealousy for the virtuous, ungrudging sympathy and compassion for the distressed, let me be able to maintain tolerance even towards the perversely inclined i.e. those who differ from me in their view point".
Is it not a Irony that Jainism which teaches every householder to develop aforesaid noble qualities in his day to day life should remain only in sealed book without being spread or propagated far and wide?
If we trace back the history of Jaina religion, we find innumerable instance of non-Jainas embracing Jaina faith and becoming its exponents in the days gone by. The greatest Apostle and Interpreter of Lord Mahavira's last Sermon on the Mount near Rajgraha in Bihar State namely Gautama Ganadhara was Brahmin by birth and he is even supposed to be a Prospective Jaina Prophet, as the legend goes. King Shrenika embraced Jainism with all his subjects. Father of Pampa, uncrowned Kind of Kannada poets, was Brahmin convert to the Jaina faith as disclosed in his writings. Non-conversion of such master minds to Jainism would have been a great loss to ancient religious glory, which is embalmed and treasured up in their writings on a purpose for life beyond life.
Padmashri Balasaheb Patil, a noted popular Marathi journalist of Kolhapur, had published a studied and instructive article on this subject of conversion to Jainism in Pragti and Jinvijay news paper in 1967. He had, therein, cited so many instances of non-Jaina kings and common men embracing Jain faith in olden days. He has pointed out that a popular northern Indian Poet called Jinadatta was first a Muslim and his songs have caught the imagination of Jaina folk, who sing them in Jaina temples on all auspicious occasions even to this day.
Therefore, a faith which is so universal and sp appealing both to an idealist and a practicalist, requires to be spread far and wide instead of keeping it confined to a cloister like a dead thing in a Museum, when in fact it is a living force with an eternal message to humanity. Even if one of the five fundamental rules prescribed by Jaina Teachers for every householder i.e. voluntary restriction on one's lust for selfish acquisition of worldly wealth and power (Parigraha-parimana) i.e. Limitation by contentment, i.e. understood and followed by one and all, the present day conflict in racial, economic and political Doctrines will be easily resolved, and the tug of war between Haves and Have-nots, Capitalism and Communism, Rich and Poor, Whites and Blacks will automatically disappear. But Human nature, having an inherent weakness of easily yielding to selfish temptation of amassing even unwanted wealth and misusing one's power and position to one's own advantage, take lot of time to understand, much less follow this benevolent rule. However, there is no harm in spreading, preaching and propagating such eternal principles so that a time may come sooner or later for the whole humanity to realise the significance of this noble religion, which teaches us "Plain Living and High Thinking".
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Article from "Light of Jain Teaching" By Mr. D. S. Parmaj
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