Jain View on Activism

Q25. As a Jain, should we get involved in issues related to social, humanitarian, political, economic, or environmental reform? How should we approach activism for such issues?

This is an overarching question and so relevant for the current times. There are so many issues we are facing as a society and we clearly see a need for all of us to do our part to lessen any negative impact, relieve suffering and contribute in whatever positive ways we can. At times there is passivity about getting involved when a particular issue doesn’t directly impact one’s own self, and we miss out on opportunities to practice and promote compassion for our interconnected wholeness.  

The purpose of addressing this question is to create awareness and provide a logical thought process that might help us decide on various aspects of activism like – does being a Jain allow us to be an activist on any issue? Which causes should we get involved with? and how can we go about bringing the change?

What is Activism?

First, let’s define the word "activism” since it has many connotations associated with it. Wikipedia defines activism as follows:

Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct, or intervene in social, political, economic, or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good.

So, when we think about it, activism is born from compassion and the desire to end suffering of other living beings. Activism is a form of service. However, Activism gets negative connotation when it is carried out in a brute force way, extremist view, or imposing approach.

For this conversation, we are talking about activism where the perceived changes and approach are aligned with the core Jain values and principles. 

When we reflect on Mahavir Swami’s life, we can see that he was very progressive in his thinking, a reformist, and an activist for spiritual progress of mankind. There are also examples of activists in recent history like Gandhiji, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela whose approach to make changes in society were aligned with core values like non-violence, compassion, and equality.

First, let’s talk about should we get involved in activism as a Jain?

Should we get involved in activism as a Jain?

That’s like asking – I’m seeing suffering around me and should I have compassion for other living beings? Should I have a desire to relieve other living beings from suffering?

It would be a dire misrepresentation of Jain religion to say that we shouldn't get involved. The core Jain values such as Ahimsa and Compassion urges us to do whatever we can for other living beings.

We can see compassion and ahimsa at the forefront in Mahavir Swami’s life stories beginning with while he was in his mother’s womb. While in mother’s womb he felt that his movements are causing discomfort to his mother and so he stopped moving in the womb to comfort her. However, when he realized that lack of movements caused even more concerns for his mother, he started moving. This story emphasis the importance of understanding pain of other living beings and doing whatever we can at that point to relieve the pain.

As he delved deep into the field of spirituality, he wished to live the life of a monk. His parents were saddened and asked him to renunciate the world only after their death. Mahavir started his journey to monkhood only after their death. For about a year before starting the monkhood journey, he gave away all his possessions, gold, and money to the needy people his kingdom. These life events stories underscore the importance of serving others with whatever we have.

Mahavir Swami did a lot of donation as a Prince, but he did donation even after taking Diksha. Mahavir Swami was meditating in the forest and a poor beggar came to him and told him his painful story. After listening to his story, Mahavir Swami gave him a half piece of the only cloth that he had. This teaches us that we should never miss an opportunity to help others with whatever little we have.

After he realized Keval Gyan he traveled from city to city all over India to promote the Jain way of life. He gave sermons two or three times a day for 30 years out of compassion. So that people can live a spiritual and satisfied life.

When we reflect on all the events from Mahavir Swami’s life, we realize that he was guided by selfless altruism. He teaches us that we are not separate from others. With our sense of interconnectedness, our inner peace and happiness are found in state when we evolve to serve other living beings. We don't have to wait to realize keval gyan to serve others and we can serve from where we are and in whatever capacity we can.

In many situations, inactivity or neutrality is an endorsement of the status quo, which could mean continued harm, injustice, or inequality. In such situations, we need to have a position or organize efforts in a non-violent, peaceful, and constructive way to engage the opposite viewpoint. And this is also entirely in line with the spirit of Anekantvad.

There are many forms of suffering in the world like social inequalities, economic inequalities, racism, human rights, animal rights, environmental issues and the list goes on.

So, the next question is what should we get involved in?

What should we get involved in?

It depends on each individual, their personality, their interests, their calling, their knowledge and what motivates them. There are various forms of suffering around us, and we need to determine where we can be of service.

As we can see from Mahavir Swami and other tirthankaras stories, there was a lot of suffering during that time such as violence towards animals, women were treated unfairly, many other forms of inequalities. And Mahavir Swami chose spiritual activism through the spreading of religion.

Activism doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be something major or drastic. It can also be small and meaningful activities in our daily life. For example, there are situations when violence or suffering might not be very apparent in the food items we eat, products we use, what we buy, where we buy from, environmental footprint or things we accumulate. And in such situations doing the required research to consciously avoid or limit actions that causes harm is a form of activism. Please see “Is Ignorance Acceptable / Justifiable in Jainism?” article that talks in more detail about how all the choices we make have an impact and remaining ignorant is not an option.

 

 

As we think about activism, there are key perspectives about activism and politics that we need to take into consideration. Activism and politics are different, and they serve different purposes. Let’s talk about the differences between the two as we need them both to affect any real changes. 

How is activism separate from politics?

This is an extremely important, nuanced question - and must be clearly understood or else it will be conflated. Activism necessarily includes a mission-driven approach towards upliftment of the downtrodden or the disadvantaged, speaking up for the marginalized, but doesn’t necessarily involve politics or public policy. Of course, to enact policy, one has to consider political considerations, and it can often get difficult to untangle the two when it gets misunderstood for activism. 

Perhaps an example will help illustrate. In the summer of 2020, there were widespread protests and marches -- “activism” -- surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. These conversations were essentially about offering basic rights and equality to the African American community - and encompassed a myriad of issues, like educational access, healthcare disparities, income inequality, representation in corporate and civic governance, and criminal justice reform. Public policy (and politics) are the tools to achieve reforms. It will be the Mayors of cities for example that will have control over how much budget to allocate towards public safety.

But essentially, the “act” of activism is rooted in a movement of equality and representation, or speaking up in solidarity with the Black community, not in political considerations. 

As we learn about various causes, we need to do our due diligence to ensure that whatever we decide to get involved with is aligned with core Jain values and principles. So, now the next question is what our approach to activism should be when we see injustice or suffering around us, whether it is directed towards us or others.

 

How should we approach activism?

Activism can be performed in many ways like campaigns, rallies, protests, hunger strikes, boycotts, petitions, street marches, sit-ins to name a few. 

 

Whatever action we choose to take in support of a cause we must always stay within the boundaries of the law.

 

In addition, from spiritual perspective all our actions should be aligned with the core Jain principles: Ahimsa, Anekantvad, Compassion, Aparigraha, Satya, Asteya.

Activism can also lead to chaos or conflict, which could be a side effect of the undertaking. We need to look at conflict resolution as well as facing and handling the hardship by adopting Jain values and few guidelines like:

·        We should aim to influence, not impose.

·        We must be the change.

·        We must not let kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit) in any form arise within us.

·        None of our actions should be carried from an egocentric perspective, for fame, power, or any personal gains. 

·        Our actions should cause no harm. None of our actions should hurt us, others, or property.

·        We must maintain our madhyastha bhav (equanimity) as we are carrying out our actions and in all outcomes.

 

 

We must have spiritual practices and inner work discipline within us before we engage our time and energy in service to others, such that all our outward actions lead to inner transformation.

 

Few recent examples of activism by Jains:

·        Jainism: Know It, Understand It & Internalize It - This blog is a form of activism that was launched in May 2019. The purpose of this blog to deepen individuals’ understanding about Jain values/principles, create a positive and enriching experience about the religion and enhance spiritual growth. The committee has released 26 articles addressing contemporary questions faced in today’s world.

·        Jains for Justice – Jains for Justice aims to build grassroots ally ship and advance justice through a contemporary South Asian lens grounded in Jain values. The organization was founded in June 2020 by young Jains in the weeks following the heinous murder of George Floyd. Currently, Jains for Justice is organized into four workgroups: animal & environmental justice; race, caste & religion; civic engagement; and gender & sexuality.

In the past year, Jains for Justice has led nationwide drives for voter registration working in tandem with the Joe Biden for President campaign, organized awareness campaigns for plant-based foods and ethical consumption, released an open letter to the Jain community on the Black Lives Matter movement, and opened safe spaces for discussions on gender & sexuality within online spaces such as Clubhouse. You can learn more and subscribe to the monthly Jains for Justice newsletter here.

·        Ahimsak Eco Vegan Committee – As an expression of ahimsa, this committee supports, educates, and promotes vegan lifestyle - not eating, wearing, or using animal products, reduction, and elimination of activities such as material and energy overconsumption contributing to harm of all life, global climate change, and destruction of the planet.

·        VeganJains – This activity focus on the compassion and health aspects of Veganism from a Jain perspective.

 

 

In Summary…

Activism is born from compassion, desire to end suffering of other living beings and the desire to serve others. We need to do our due diligence to ensure any change and our approach to bring about that changes are aligned with the Jain values and principles. What we choose to get involved depends on our personality, interest, knowledge and what motivates us.

For all the actions we choose to take in support of a cause, we must ensure that we remain within the boundaries of the law, our activities should be aligned with core Jain principles such that it doesn't cause any harm to self or other, respect everyone, not let any kashayas arise within and we maintain our stillness. This kind of activism enhance our spiritual growth and results in inner transformation.

 

Rituals are meant to be Adaptive and are not Universal...

Q20. Are rituals meant to be adaptive? Do rituals need to change based on environment and place or in other words, are rituals universal? As an example, why are Samayik and Pratikraman rituals not allowed in the temple and is that applicable in all countries?

 

First let’s talk about what are rituals, the purpose of rituals and how they should be performed. Then we will talk about the adaptability and applicability of rituals in different environments/countries.

 

Rituals – What/Why/How

Ritual, in the religious context, is a set of activities performed to remind basic principles of the religion. Rituals have a symbolic and spiritual significance to the performer.

 

Rituals are important for any religion to build a culture, to strengthen their religious values, to create a sense of community, and for survival of a religion. Rituals are required and play a significant role to instill values and build up religious interest in children, youth, and future generations.

 

End Goals of Rituals

Rituals performed with proper understanding ultimately help us:

·        Reduces our kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit)

·        Reduces our attachment to worldly objects and physical relationships

·        Increase compassion toward other living beings

·        Realize true nature of the soul and ultimately lead to liberation

And achieving the above is essentially the aim of religion.

 

How to Perform Rituals

Rituals must be performed with proper knowledge, understanding and reflection. Practicing of any ritual should start with understanding the spiritual purpose of the rituals.

As we are performing any ritual, we need to pause and ask ourselves honestly: Am I doing this ritual with the right knowledge and understanding? Am I doing this ritual with proper yoga posture, proper recitation of sutra, and meditation? Am I reflecting on how this ritual is helping me?

With such reflections, it ends up being primary means of inner transformation.

Rituals performed mechanically, out of fear, ego, greed, deceit, or personal gain, are pointless and provide no spiritual benefit.  On the contrary it further degrades us spiritually because we practice the religion under fear and greed.

 

Please refer to “Rituals: What, Why, How” article for additional details.

 

Rituals are created by the people, and for the people. They are meant to be something that can be easily followed by the laypeople on daily basis in their current environment. Otherwise, it ends up becoming a paper exercise and not something that can be or will be followed by people.

 

 

Rituals are meant to be adaptive

If the rituals are adaptive and responsive to different cultures and social climates, then the rituals and religion remain relevant and vibrant. Hence people continue to stay actively involved. We have seen over history that rituals have changed to suit the needs of the changing times, but values and spiritual intent were kept intact.

As an example, there are distinct differences in the way rituals were performed during Lord Parshwanath’s time vs. Lord Mahavir’s time.

 

During Lord Parshvanath’s time, repentance ritual was performed only if one made a mistake or violated a vow. If an induvial made a mistake multiple times, then the repentance ritual was performed multiple times in a day. And if an individual didn’t make any mistake or violated a vow, then the repentance ritual was not performed.

 

Whereas during Lord Mahavir’s time, he introduced discipline around rituals. He introduced six essential rituals for laypeople like Samayik, Chauvisathho, Vandana, Pratikraman, Kayotsarg and Pacchakhan. This is an example of how the rituals were adjusted in accordance with time, but the spiritual intent of eliminating our Mithyatva and reducing kashayas remained the same.

 

There are rituals around seasons in India. The seasons are different in America, so the seasons related rituals won't be necessarily applicable. For example, there are areas in USA and Canada were sunset occurs sometimes around 3 PM. Will it be practical for individuals in those areas to follow not eating after sunset ritual?  

 

Another example is not eating mangoes during monsoon months in India. Is that applicable in America since it rains almost all year around in many parts of the country?

 

 

Rituals are not universal

Rituals depend on place, time, and environment we live in. But the purpose and spiritual intent remains the same. So, some rituals will be pertinent regardless of the country and some rituals won’t be. We must use our own wisdom to determine the rituals applicability in our current environment. 

Practicing of rituals starts with understanding the spiritual purpose of the ritual and practical applicability to follow the ritual while meeting all the responsibilities as laypeople. This becomes especially important when people migrate from one place to another.

There are many rituals in place today that are rooted from generations of history and they are performed with the mindset that “this is how it’s always been done”. In some cases, these rituals are done in Mithyatva (ignorance), not knowing the spiritual intent but instead following it mechanically. This Mithyatva can be seeded from lack of knowledge, lack of desire to gain information, blindly following rituals, believing in the wrong beliefs, lack of alignment with Jain values/principles, or fear of challenging that status quo.

 

Ritual should not be mistaken as a religion

Ritual should not be mistaken as a religion, but rather the spiritual benefit that we gain directly/indirectly by performing a ritual is the religion. If we are getting spiritual benefit from a ritual, then it is a proper ritual versus a ritual just carried mechanically. Whatever rituals we do, we need to understand the spiritual purpose behind it and then see if we are achieving and/or improving towards achieving that purpose.

 

So, now that we understand rituals should be adaptive and they are not meant to be universal, let’s talk about specific question related Samayik and Pratikraman in detail:

 

 

Why does Jainism not allow Samayik and Pratikraman rituals in the temple and is that applicable in America?

This question has come up at the several Jain centers in America. Many of the small centers don’t have enough space to accommodate various simultaneous. Pratikramans during specifically during Paryushan to include Shvetämbar, Digambar, Sthanakvasi, Youth Pratikaman or Pratikaman performed in English language and so on.

Let’s first understand the purpose of Samayik and Pratikraman:

Samayik: The purpose of Samayik is to remain calm, undisturbed and in the state of equanimity for at least 48 minutes daily. This daily practice is intended to raise our spirituality and inner strength such that we can maintain the state of equanimity throughout the day.

Pratikraman: The purpose of Pratikraman is to reflect, repent, and re-approach upon wrong thoughts, words and actions and ask for forgiveness for the same. This daily practice keeps us constantly awake and aware about our way of living life.

The aims of both rituals are to prepare us in attaining divinity in our thoughts, words, and conduct through awareness and moment to moment mindfulness.

In our effort to understand if there are any scriptures or principles driven reasons for not performing such pious and spiritually uplifting rituals in the temple, we have found none. However, we were given some traditional reasons. We have also provided our perspective and logic for each of the reasons below:

Acharyas and Scholars indicate the following 4 reasons why we are not allowed to do Samayik and Pratikraman in the temple

1.     The primary function of temple is to do Puja and Chaitya Vandan of Tirthankar.  Samayik and Pratikraman are for self-reflection and meditation.  This may take long time.  During this time people sweat perspire and that degrades piousness of temple. 

2.     Samayik and Pratikraman when performed in a group, people seat around the circle and Sthapnacharya in the middle.  This will create Ashatana condition to Tirthankar because few people’s back will be in front of Tirthankar Murti.

3.     In Pratikraman vidhi, when Guru vandan vidhi occurs, if we to do it in the presence of Tirthankar then this is also considered Ashatana.

4.     Anybody can walk-into the temple and will disturb people’s Kaussag, Samayik, or Svadhyay, or meditation.

We need to evaluate the above reasons in different environment and culture from a logical and spiritual viewpoint:

1.     Originally the temples were meant for meditation, the murtis were used as symbol for meditation, and Jainism as well as Buddhism were against murti puja. Later, various rituals got introduced and meditative intent got lost. Also, if the length of the rituals is a concern, then why are Siddhachakra poojans performed in the temple which takes couple of hours? If poojans are allowed, then why not Samayik and Pratikraman?

2.     Regarding Ashatana because of people’s back in front of the murti, why not sit such that no one’s back is towards Tirthankar?

3.     Tirthankar are our first spiritual teachers / gurus then why can’t we recite guru vandan in front of our tirthankars? We do recite Ichcchami Khamasaman in front of tirthankara and monks/nuns and only difference is the number of times it is performed. We recite it for three times in the temple vs. two times in front of monks/nuns.

4.     The concern that anybody can walk in anytime and disturb meditation is more applicable in India since people come and go anytime, but not in USA, Canada, and many other countries.

As we can see that the reasons provided have no spiritual significance.  It is more driven by the culture and tradition in certain sects of Jainism. In America, during Samvatsari Pratikraman more space is required because the entire community does Pratikraman at the same time but in different rooms, such as Shvetambar hall, Sthanakvast hall, Shrimad hall, English Pratikraman hall. 

To indicate that we can do Samayik and Partikraman in a pious place like temple is logical as well as spiritual. The main goal for us is to achieve our spiritual (meditative) intent of these rituals in our current environment.

 

In Summary

We need to have clear understanding of the rituals and the purpose of rituals. For rituals to remain relevant, they need to be adaptive and we must use our own wisdom to determine the rituals applicability in our current environment. 

“Whatever I say, you must test this with your own reasoning and verify it through your own experience. Do not accept what I say blindly by faith alone until it passes the litmus test of intellect.”  – Tirthankar Mahavir

The above is the key message from Mahavir Swami, but the unfortunate situation is performing rituals without proper understanding and then not questioning it under the pretense of faith in religion. We must think about all the information holistically and make our decision keeping the spiritual aim in the forefront.

The ultimate purpose of any ritual is our inner transformation and we are the only ones who can track our progress honestly.

The intent is not to challenge or change a tradition just for sake of it but to understand principles and awareness, such that if a change is required in our current environment, then we can use our own wisdom and not become rigid or timid followers of cultural/legacy traditions.

Purpose and Approach

The story behind this blog and approach used to answer all the questions

Why this blog

The purpose of this blog is to address questions that have been collected by the Jaina Education Committee over the last 10+ years. These questions have been raised by the youth and professionals to their pathshala teachers, parents and/or Jain scholars. There are wide range of questions from, basic to complex ones, that involve experiences of modern times on various topics like - Ahimsa, Rituals, Environmental impact, Women Equality, Social Issues, Cleanliness, Health and Medicines, Profession/Business, Penance, Philosophy, Literature, and many others.

 

Such questions can be addressed in one of the two ways, by either:

• Asking them to not question anything about religion and simply believe and follow what is being said or 
• Aid in understanding the values and principles that facilitates answer to those questions, so that individuals can use their own logic and wisdom to derive an answer for themselves. 

Using first approach is easy and simple, but in the long run, will either drive the individuals away from religion and spiritual lifestyle, or create a community that would follow religion blindly, that is, without any understanding of their own and without any experience the intended benefits. 

 

To avoid the pitfalls of this first approach, this blog therefore, uses the second approach to address the questions from a Jain values and principles perspective. The intent of this approach is to deepen individuals' understanding, and even be able to verify that understanding based on their own experience.

 

In Jainism, there are no "thou shalt" like commandments. On the contrary, Jainism is an introspective religion, and we should constantly ask ourselves - "Is it helping me?", "Is it making me better?". If the answer is yes, then "that's the right thing for me and I'm the only one who can answer these questions honestly." 

 

This blog will provide a thought-process-based understanding of the core values and principles of Jainism and highlight the benefits and changes we should see within ourselves by using our own wisdom.

 

The core teaching by Bhagwan Mahavira urges us use our own logic, reasoning and learn from our own experiences.

 

“Whatever I say, you must test this with your own reasoning and verify it through your own experience.

 

Do not accept what I say blindly by faith alone until it passes the litmus test of intellect. Otherwise, it will never be yours.

 

If you accept what I teach based on the sacred texts, or from my convincing reasoning, or even because of my radiant personality, but not by testing with your own reasoning, then in the end this will create only darkness (ignorance) in you and not light.”

 

- Tirthankar Mahavir

(Ref Book - Harmony-Of-All-Religions by Maharshi Santsevi Maharaj - Page 100)

 

How...

This blog is written under guidance of Pravin Shah, Chairperson of the Jaina Education Committee, and a Jain scholar. For over 40 years, Pravin Shah has researched Jain literature and scriptures in pursuit of finding informed answers to many of the questions people have about Jainism. In addition to his in-depth knowledge of Jainism, he also has a deep understanding of life as a Jain in the United States. He strives to answer questions beyond the plain and familiar, “that’s the way it is”, no matter how controversial the question is. When it comes to religion, it is an extremely difficult task to challenge a belief system that has been held on for many years. It requires courage, dedication, calmness, open-mindedness, and commitment, to push past those beliefs and come to conclusions based on sound reasoning.

 

The team members of this blog are from various backgrounds, and from various geographic locations within the United States. The team holds regular sessions with Pravin Shah and each question has an author and editor assigned to it. Each article goes through thorough research and the team members also reaches to various scholars in India and in US. The responses are posted on this blog after it has gone through multiple reviews.

 

The current committee members for this effort are: Aditya Jain (India), Birju Doshi (CAN), Dhruti Ghiya (NJ), Hardik Mehta (NJ), Jina Shah (CA), Krupali Shah (IL), Minal Jayant Shah (IL), Rita Lodaya (NC), Sejal Shah (NC), Shilpa Shah (GA), Shruti Doshi (VA), Vinit Doshi (CT) and Pratiksha Shah (VA).

Our Guiding Principles

What are the guiding principles used to address the question?

We used the following guiding principles to address all the questions. It includes certain basic concepts that are very important to understand and to level set the basics of Jainism.

1. All of the responses are intended for lay people living in US society and not for monks or nuns. There is a difference in how monks/nuns vs. lay people follow Jainism. Monks/Nuns take five vows and laypeople have responsibilities for family, work, community, etc.
2. All of the responses are in reference to human beings with a fully developed mind, which mean individuals with ability to decide between right and wrong, freewill, free thinking and be able to meditate.
3. All of the responses are based on Jain values and principles and the intent is to create a positive and enriching experience about the religion. We are not imposing our views on anyone.
4. We will focus on the intent of the questions and consider possible implications of the answers.
5. We practice Anekantvad - different people are going to have different perspectives. Respect everyone irrespective of their choices; no exception. If there are multiple views then our attempt will be to reflect those in the answer.
6. Agamas are texts of Jainism based on the discourses (deshna) of the Tirthankara delivered in a samavasarana (divine preaching hall).
• The agamic literature and the Purvas were passed from one head of the order to his disciples for around 980 years after the nirvana of Tirthankara Mahavira. 
• It became difficult with time to keep the entire Jain literature committed to memory and written documentation started in the 5th century (~1000 years after Tirthankara Mahavira nirvana).
7. Jain Fundamental Beliefs:
• Universe has no beginning and no end. It is everlasting, eternal and has both finite and infinite component.
• The universe constitutes of six fundamental substances or entities known as Shad Dravya (Dravastikaya) and they are 
• Soul (Jiva)
• Matter (Pudgal)
• Principle of Motion (Dhamastikaya)
• Principle of Rest (Adharmastikaya)
• Space (Äkäsha)
• Time (Käl)
• All six substances are eternal. Although, they undergo countless and continuous changes, they do not transform from one substance to another and retain their inherent qualities.
• Soul (Jiva) is the only living substance, which has consciousness. Every living being is a soul. An infinite number of souls exist in the universe and they are all unique. The remaining 5 substances are non-living beings (Ajiva).
• Souls are classified into two major categories: Liberated Souls and Non-Liberated souls. Liberated souls known as Siddhas have ended their cycle of birth and death and they don’t have physical bodies. There are infinite number of non-liberated souls and they all have the possibility of achieving liberation. 
• Karma is one of the categories of matter (Pudgal), hence it exists since eternity.
• Soul is in Mithyätva (Delusion or ignorance and wrong belief) from Eternity.
• Karma is attached to the Soul from eternity. Our Mithyätva (Delusion or Illusion), Kashäya (vices) and the intention behind our actions of body, mind, and speech continue to bind us with new Karma.
• Principle governing the successions of life cycles (Birth, Life, and Death) is Karma.
8. Aim of Jainism:
• Enhance spiritual life, find happiness within and reduce kashays (greed, anger, lust, ego etc.) within.
• To realize the original attributes of a Soul by removing Mithyätva and Kashäya and thereby freeing the soul from its bondage to Karma.
• External renunciation is meaningless if the Soul remains fettered by internal shackles (Kashaya or vices) - Bhava-Puhad (13).
• The True Nature of a substance is the Religion of a substance - - any activity of Body, Mind and Speech which reduces/removes Mithyätva and  Kashäya (Anger, Ego, Deceit, and Greed) is known as Religion.
• Our conduct must be accompanied by compassion, friendship, love, sympathy, equanimity etc. otherwise it is merely mechanical action.
9. Mithyätva or Delusion means:
• False knowledge about the attributes of our soul and worldly realities.
• One does not know the Truth but one firmly believes the Untruth is Truth.
• Belief is held with absolute conviction and belief is not changeable even by compelling counter argument or proof to the contrary.
• Mithyätva (not Karma) is the root cause of all Sufferings.
10. Kashäya means Anger, Ego, Deceit, Greed, Attachment, Aversion and other vices.