Why one cannot attain Moksh "as a woman" according to Jainism?
Introduction
In the today's modern world where everyone is talking about equality between men and women, empowering women to thrive and achieve equal to what men has, raising voice against patriarchy etc., when a topic like this comes up - it becomes very important to understand the "why" of it from its root.
For both believers and non-believers, including followers and those exploring Jainism, particularly the youth, the idea that only men can attain godhood or achieve Moksh can be troubling and hard to accept.
And if someone doubts this fact stated in Jainism, how can they trust other core fundamentals of it? How can we expect them to confidently pursue the path of salvation without hesitation?
The esteemed saint Acharya Samantbhadra also declined to accept God and his teachings blindly. Instead, he insisted on critically and logically examining the basics and obtaining answers to all the "whys" of Jainism.
Let us now unfold the reason "why" one cannot attain Moksh "as a woman" according to Jainism?!
Who attains Moksh?
Because our fundamental question is why "women" cannot attain Moksh, it becomes essential to understand what is Moksh.
Moksh is the state where the soul becomes free from all karmas; and attains supreme bliss.
Well, does a woman attain Moksh? Or a man? Or cows or cats? Who attains Moksh then?
As mentioned; Moksh is attained by the Soul! Whatever we label as man, woman, animal, bird etc. are all the names of the body; and not the soul.
In Jainism, considering other souls as male, female, animal, plant, and so on is regarded as the greatest sin. Viewing oneself as male, female, old, young, rich, poor, and so forth is identified as the root cause of Sansaar, or the false perception that hinders us from attaining Godhood.
In short, the statement is fundamentally wrong when we say a "Man" attains Moksh. It is the soul that attains Moksh; not the body! Moksh is a state of the soul; like how gold's state changes from gold-mine to gold-ornament - gold remains constant.
If soul attains Moksh, why not from a woman's body?
Whilst it is true that the soul attains Moksh and not the body; but until one is free from Sansaar, the soul does reside in some or the other body on the outside (based on its karmas).
Now, Moksh is the state to be free from all Karmas. Karmas are binded by Soul's "Bhaav" (feelings).
There are 3 types of "Bhaav"
1. Shubh (positive) - binds positive/good karmas
2. Ashubh (negative) - binds negative/bad karmas
3. Shuddh (pure) - doesn't bind ANY karmas
From above, you must have rightly guessed that only by Shuddh bhaav one can attain Moksh. These Shuddh Bhaavs are attained during the time of penance. They are the only Bhaav during which the soul doesn't bind any new karmas and sheds past karmas!
The physical body that the soul resides in; is closely linked to the kinds of "Bhaav" this soul can possess.
For instance, a cow, essentially a soul, can never have a Bhaav (feeling) to consume meat. Similarly, an ant cannot develop a Bhaav (feeling) to visit temples or read scriptures. Likewise, a lion cannot possess a Bhaav (feeling) to earn money, and so forth.
If we analyze deeper enough; we will be able to see that even a man and woman also have differences in their Bhaav. For example, men naturally are seen to be having feelings to attract women (and not men), and vice versa.
In short, we can rightly conclude that the body has influence on our Bhaavs. Technically speaking, because the body is also obtained based on Karmas, the bonded Karmas also have influence on our "Bhaavs".
For a soul to be free from all karmas has to develop Shuddh Bhaavs of very high purity. This is only possible if one has "Vajra-rishabh-naarach Sanhanan" body structure type!
Wait, what is "Vajra-rishabh-naarach Sanhanan"?
6 Sanhanans (body structures)
There are 6 types of body-structures (Sanhanan) defined in Jainism. They are -
1. Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan
2. Vajra-naarach Sanhanan
3. Naaraach Sanhahan
4. Ardh-naaraach Sanhanan
5. Keelak Sanhanan
6. Asanprapta-srupatika Sanhanan
These Sanhanan are present in bodies of Humans and Tiryanch (Animals). It relates with the strength, formation and structure of bones, veins, arteries, muscles etc. in the body.
Here, 1st being the strongest and 6th being the weakest, 1st three Sanhanans are considered "Uttam" and last three are considered as "Jaghanya".
Let us see who can have which type of Sanhanan -
- Tiryanch (1 to 5 sensed animals) - Asanprapta-srupatika Sanhanan
- Humans and Animals in Bhog-bhumi - Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan
- Humans of 4th Era of Kaal Chakra - All Sanhanans possible
- Female Humans of any Era of Kaal Chakra - only last 3 Sanhanans are possible
- Humans of 5th (current) Era of Kaal Chakra - only last 3 Sanhanans are possible
Although there are many rules relating to where the soul can go (after death) based on what Sanhanan it has, let us see some of them-
- All Sanhanans - can go upto 3rd Hell
- 1 to 5 Sanhanan - can go upto 5th Hell
- 1 to 4 Sanhanan - can go upto 6th Hell
- Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan - 7th Hell
- Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan - 5 Anuttar Vimaan in Heaven
- 1, 2 and 3 Sanhanan - Till 9th Graiveyak in Heaven
This implies -
- Woman (who can have last three Sanhanan only) can go up to 6th hell
- Man (specifically one who possesses Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan, not all) can go up to 7th Hell
- Humans of 5th (current) era possesses only the last three Sanhanans cannot go to Moksh! They have to take rebirth with Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan body in order to attain Moksh. This is the reason why we don't see anyone around attaining Moksh!
- Animals who has 6th Sanhanan can never attain Moksh in their lifetime.
From this, it is clear that attaining Moksh has no relation with being a man or a woman. It has connection with the outer body-structure which plays a role in the soul's Shuddh Bhaavs.
Important to note that, just having Vajra-rishabh-naaraach Sanhanan body type doesn't lead to Moksh.
The soul only by the right belief, right knowledge and right conduct can attain Moksh.
We can perceive in this way too:
"Whenever the soul attains Moksh, it will be possessing Vajra-rishabh-naaraach body structure." But its vice-versa is not true.
In the journey towards Salvation, the soul begins by purifying its beliefs about the 7 fundamental principles of Jainism(Tatvas) and 6 fundamental elements (Dravyas) of the Universe. This involves developing the right faith about the true nature of substances and understanding oneself. This state of soul is called Samyagdrashti.
As the journey progresses, the soul starts to experience inner bliss and gradually detaches from the materialistic world by undertaking vows (Vrats), among other practices.
Eventually, the soul reaches a stage where it delves deeper into Shuddh Bhaav (pure feelings) and decides to take Nirgranth Digamber Diksha. This involves shedding all possessions, including clothes, as even a single piece of cloth can be an obstacle in the path to salvation.
Through intense self-reflection, one day the soul attains supreme intelligence, perception, bliss, and strength. This state is known as Arihant. After some time, when all Karmas are shed, the soul achieves Salvation, freeing itself from the cycle of rebirth forever. This state is known as Siddh. In Jainism, both Arihant and Siddh are considered as Gods.
So does Jainism see women as weak species?
Just as we perceive humans as stronger than other animals based on physical structure, according to the different types of Sanhanans we've just discussed, it is reasonable to conclude that male bodies are generally stronger than female bodies.
But this is very subjective. Reiterating again, the measure of strength is not gender but the Sanhanan they possess.
If we compare man of 5th era with the woman of Bhog-bhumi, woman of Bhog-bhumi with 1st Sanhanan will be more powerful physically. (Note: No one can attain Moksh from Bhog-bhumi)
If we compare a diseased man with a fit woman, woman will be more powerful in this case.
Geography, time, lifestyle etc. also has an effect on the strength of an individual.
Indeed, strength is not linked to gender but rather to the Sanhanan (body structure) one possesses. Comparing individuals based solely on gender will lead to nothing but confusions.
Women possess their own set of strengths and weaknesses; and so does men. It is dumb to compare and try to equate two different species of nature.
Conclusion
Jainism accurately defines the true nature of substances as they are. Labeling Jainism as a "misogynist" religion is entirely baseless.
It teaches us to see beyond male, female, animal, rich, poor, strong, weak etc. labels that are given to this body. It teaches us that each and every soul possesses the potential to become Siddh, and to experience infinite bliss.
The first step to enter the path towards Moksh (salvation) is Samyak-darshan (right perception); which everyone including male, female, heavenly beings, hellish beings and 5-sensed Animals can attain.
One who attains Samyak-darshan is guaranteed to attain Moksh in short time; in few lives.
Don't you think that it was too shallow to stress more on why females cannot attain Salvation?
Sometimes, our focus is distracted to wrong subjects. We should rather try to deeply understand what Moksh really is and how to achieve it.
Your question about "Why one cannot attain Moksh "as a woman" according to Jainism?" was definitely valid. Through this blog I have tried to answer this in simplest and most logical way possible - totally based on what is being preached in our scriptures. I hope this blog answered all your doubts and confusions relating to this topic.
So, let us march on the path of liberation by understanding Jain scriptures, principles, practicing the art of seeing ourselves separate from this body and henceforth attaining the state of supreme bliss - Moksh soonest.