GUIDANCE TO INNER JOURNEY: FROM SOUL TO SUPREME SOUL
The Agamas unveil the secrets and doctrines of the omniscient, ParmatmaMahavira. Shri Acharanga Sutra is the first Agama that illustrates the path to attain freedom from misery and pain by following a peaceful lifestyle that leads us towards spirituality. ParmatmaMahavira had spent 12 ½ years in deep meditation and gained complete control over all his senses i.e. mind, body and speech, thus attaining enlightenment. The knowledge that he experienced during the course of his meditation is illustrated in this sutra.
The 1st sermon delivered by ParmatmaMahavira for the welfare of the people after enlightenment was through this sutra. There is an in-depth description about how the soul is a different entity from the physical body. This sutra helps one to differentiate between the physical body and the soul. It provides guidance on how the human nature leads us to worldly life and how to free ourselves from this bond. This sutra has 9 divisions. It gives an insight on how to detach from the worldly life, become an ascetic and about the life of an ascetic. This sutra inspires one to awaken his inner-self. It is the 1st sermon given by ParmatmaMahavira and thus it is the root or foundation of omniscience.
Without introspection of the soul, all the other kinds of awareness are futile. The ultimate aim of the soul which is to realize itself is known as ACHARANGA. It is the pillar on which resides a sadhu or sadhvi. It gives a narration about the conduct and behaviour of a monk (sadhu). How one conduct oneself is known as behaviour and to observe the rules of conduct is ACHARANGA.
Researchers prove that plants have a life. In this Jain Sutra, ParmatmaMahavira had proved that not only plants but also earth, water, fire, air have a life. The sensation of water is similar to the sensations of plants. The sense of touch that humans have is similar to that possessed by water and earth. The size of a mountain changes because the earth is living. Geologists have proved that height of mountains varies from time to time.
People are content when they have all the luxuries, but the happiness and contentment that comes without possessing these luxuries gives supreme bliss to our soul. The Parmatma has stated that ‘Comforts gives us pleasure (physical body), but the pleasure derived from spirituality (soul) is incomparable’.
Source: https://medium.com/@parasdham.org/shri-acharanga-sutra-1st-anga-sutra-a0ed73a33191
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