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54 : Applied Philosophy of Jainism According to Jainism the attainment of mental equanimity is the ultimate objective of man. It is in this state that consciousness can be free from constant flickering and attain peace which again is a pre-condition for spiritual happiness which Jainism marks out as the goal of life and is possible alone in the state of equanimity. This comes down to the statement that the dispassionate stage of mind (vītarāgatā) or the equanimity of mind itself is alone the goal of life. This state of consciousness is also known as a state of pure knowership (Sākṣībhāva or drastābhāva) which is the real nature of self and its attainment is the ultimate aim of life.
The Identity of Self with End and Means In Jainism the aspirant, the end and the means are regarded as identical to self. Each member of the trinity is a manifestation of self. The Adhyātma-tattvāloka mentions that self is both the binding network of the phenomenal universe (saṁsāra) and salvation from it. It remains in bondage so long as it is conditioned by the karmas and under the domination of senses and passions, but when it has full control over them, it is emancipated. In his commentary on Samayasāra Ācārya Amrtacandrā Sūri says, “Emancipation (Mukti) consists in the exclusion of para-dravya, i.e., karma and the realisation of one's own real nature. Acārya Hemacandra Sūri also maintains in his famous work Yogaśāstra, “The self which is conditioned and overwhelmed by the senses is in bondage and the self, which has control over them, is called the emancipated or the enlightened one. In fact, the self being yoked to desires constitutes bondage and when the desires are shed, the self appears in its pristine purity, it is emancipated. The Jaina view of the spiritual goal is that it is within the aspirant and not outside. What is realised by spiritual practices is not an external object, but the full manifestation of one's inner potentialities. Potentialities of self remain same at the beginning of the quest and at its end; the difference lies in the realisation or actualisation of these potentialities. Just as a seed is capable of being developed into a tree, and it actualises his capability when it is really grown in the form of a tree, similarly the soul (ātmā) which has the potentiality of being the Supreme-Soul (paramātmā), be
