Gunasthana
Fourteen stages of spiritual development in Jainism
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Overview
According to the Sarvārthasiddhi, a commentary by Pūjyapāda Devanandi which provides an exegesis of the Tattvartha Sutra (chapter 9), the 14 Guṇasthānas (also known as the Doctrine of the 14 Stages of Spiritual Development) are:
- mithyā-dṛṣṭi "deluded world-view"
- sāsvādana "lingering enlightened world-view" or "passing taste"
- samyak-mithyātva "combination of enlightened and deluded world-view" (soul’s ascent to the enlightened world-view)
- samyag-dṛṣṭi "enlightened world-view without self-restraint"
- deśa-virata "enlightened world-view with partial self-restraint but with partial laxity"
- sarva-virata "enlightened world-view with complete self-restraint free of laxity"
- apramatta-virata "complete self-restraint free of laxity" (deep meditation becomes possible)
- apūrva-karaṇa "complete self-restraint with gross passions with novel experiences"
- anivṛtti-karaṇa "complete self-restraint with gross passions and similar but progressively purer experiences"
- sūkṣma-sāmparāya "complete self-restraint with subtle flickering greed"
- upaśānta-kaṣāya "complete self-restraint with suppressed passions"
- kṣīṇa-moha "complete self-restraint with eliminated passions"
- sayoga-kevalī "omniscience accompanied by mental, verbal and physical activity"
- ayoga-kevalī "omniscience with no activity"
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Classification
The fourteen Gunasthāna represents the soul's gradual manifestation of the innate qualities of knowledge, belief and conduct in a more and more perfect form. Following are the stages of spiritual development: The first four are concerned with Right Belief (Rationality in perception)
- 1. Mithyātva (Delusion)
- 2. Sasādana
- 3. Misradrsti (Mixed belief)
- 4. Avirata samyagdrsti (Vowless right belief)
The next one is about Minor Vows i.e. Commencement of Right conduct
- 5. Deśavirata (The stage of partial self-control)
The rest are about Right conduct: Mahavratas (Major Vows)
- 6. Pramattasamyata (Slightly imperfect vows)
- 7. Apramatta samyata (Perfect vows)
- 8. Apūrvakaraņa (New thought-activity)
- 9. Anivāttibādara-sāmparāya (Advanced thought-activity)
- 10. Sukshma samparaya (Slightest delusion)
- 11. Upaśānta-kasāya (Subsided delusion)
- 12. Ksīna kasāya (Destroyed delusion)
- 13. Sayoga kevali (Kevala Jnana with vibration)
- 14. Ayoga kevali (Moksha)
The Fourteen stages
About the 12th stage it is mentioned in Jain text, Gommatsāra Jīvakanda:
That possessionless saint (Nirgrantha), all of whose deluding, passions (Moha Kashaya) are destroyed, and whose thought is clear like the water kept in a pure vessel of crystal Jewel is said by the non-attached (Conquerors) (to be in the 12th stage of) destroyed-delusion, or delusionless (Kshina Kashaya).
— Gommatsāra (62)
The destruction of causes of bondage
The whole scheme of gunasthana in Jain philosophy is devised in a logical order according to the principle of decreasing sinfulness and increasing purity. At the first stage, all the five causes of bondage—Irrational beliefs (mithyatva), non-restraint (avirati), carelessness (pramada), passions (kashaya) and activities of mind, speech and body (yoga)—are in full operation. Irrational beliefs (mithyatva) are partially suppressed in the second and third stages, and are eliminated in the fourth stage. In stages five and six, non-restraint (avirati) is gradually eliminated in stages. From the seventh stage onwards, carelessness is removed and only passions and activity exercise their influence. From the eleventh to the thirteenth all the passions are eliminated and only activity is present. On the last stage, there is no activity, hence no binding of karma.
The destruction of karmas
Out of the four ghatiya karmas, darsana mohiniya karma (perception deluding karma) is destroyed first in the fourth stage of gunasthana. Caritra mohiniya karma (conduct deluding karma) is destroyed next in the twelfth gunasthana. The remaining three ghatiya karmas (knowledge obstructing karma, perception obstructing karma and energy obstructing karma) are destroyed in the 13th stage and the rest four aghatiya karmas (life-span determining, body determining, status determining and feeling producing karmas) are destroyed in the 14th or the last stage of gunasthana.