Gommatasara Jiva Kanda

SR No.: 001612
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti, J L Jaini
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown
Publication Year: 1927
Total Pages: 438
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Principle, & Canon
File Size: 9 MB

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We must also draw a distinction between the actions and the inner activity, to which these external actions are due. From the practical point of view we must emphasise the external actions, and from the real point of view their causes in the inner activity of our consciousness. But the responsible agent of both these is the individual consciousness itself.
Consciousness is as such purely itself, i.e. quite separate from matter which is unconscious, lifeless. From this pure or real point of view, we may say that all action and enjoyment of the soul is within its own consciousness.
The Soul is Immaterial.
Once more let us compare our categories, the Living and Nonliving. The most obvious form of non-living substance is matter; as iron, dry wood, sapphire, stone wall, key of our lock, our table, chair and innumerable other objects conveniently handy for this investigation to anyone at all times and at all places. That is the chief characterstic of this mass of matter of so many kinds? It is obviously this: It can be known by the senses. It has colour; we can see that coal is black; sapphire is blue; gold is yellow, ruby is red; and snow is white.
Again if we taste various kinds of matter we find that pepper is pungent, that aloes is bitter, that salt is saline, that the juice of an unripe mango is acid, and that sugar is sweet. Again rose essence smells sweet, Sulphur does not smell nice. Also, iron is cold, dry wood is not compared with iron; silk is smooth; sand is rough; cotton is soft; stone is hard; a feather is light and lead is heavy. We can sum up these 5 colours, five tastes, two smells and eight touches as the more obvious characteristics of lifeless matter. None of these twenty is found to characterise Consciousness, or pure life. Of course when life is mixed with non-living matter, it assumes all these distinctions of colour, taste, smell, and touch. Thus embodied consciousness does have colour, taste, etc. Soul is not matter. Byron rightly said that is the matter never mind him what is the mind, no matter. By "mind" we must mean the taking Ego, the soul.
Possibility of Omniscience.
This point is radical and deserves a little more consideration. Above we have seen vitalities, attention, conation, knowledge, doing and enjoying, and co-extension with the body to be the observed characteristics of the living substance. Here we may pause for a moment to consider these characteristics also. They were all