Introduction to Jainism and its Culture

SR No.: 001605
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore
Publication Year: 2002
Total Pages: 334
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Religion, & Culture
File Size: 21 MB

Page 299

results are very vague. Whatever science has been able to explore can be compared with what has been postulated by Jainism.
a
Dharma and Adharma entities – Ācārya Pūjyapāda has stated worldly being is driven by the energy of karma. When that energy is exhausted it remains moving due to the inertial force as long as that saṁskāra (karma programming) is not destroyed. This rule can be compared with Newton's first law of motion - every object maintains its state of rest or linear motion as long as some outside factor forces it to change the direction. The movement of a worldly being is caused by karma-saṁskāra (karma programming) but when that programming is erased and there is an absence of the outside force of dharma-entity the movement seizes. The motion of soul and matter follows the pattern of space points diverging from the center of the universe in all the three spatial planes (vertical, horizontal and transverse).
Potential energy (Sthitija ūrja) This finds mention in the commentary of the aphorism 4/22 of Tattvärtha Sūtra
"Gods whose scope of movement extends beyond the third world (hell) do not reach there in spite of having the capacity. They never went there in the past, nor will they ever go there in the future. Mentioning their movement only indicates their potential. They have the energy but it does not manifest into action, however, they certainly have the capacity to go to that limit. They are apathetic about going anywhere."
This statement contains the law of inertia intrinsic to the principle of motion. In absence of force, motion is not possible. Thus dynamic and static inertia is proved.
Pudgala (matter) No other philosophy in the world has discussed matter so elaborately as the Jain philosophers have done. Jain philosophy accepts matter as rūpī-mūrtika (having a form). Rūpī means that which has attributes of form, taste, smell, and touch. It is a rule that a thing that has any one of these attributes will have all the four attributes apparent or not. It is possible that all these attributes of some substance are beyond the grasp of our sense organs. For example infrared radiation (thermal radiation) is beyond the range of our eyes but owl and cat can locate things with the help of infrared radiation.
282