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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derived from our observation of a dead corpse and a living reader of these words. In the corpse, we simply noted the absence of the living and thus indirectly inferred that what was absent, belonged to and was taken away by the living substance when it left the corpse lifeless. The living reader gave us mostly the psychic stages of conation and knowledge. But in all these we are not able to study or observe pure life. Indeed it must be confessed frankly that there is absolutely no means at present of our studying life or soul directly and fully in its pure condition without any admixture of matter in it. We are in the world. There is no pure soul in this world of ours. All are embodied or mundane souls. In studying them, except in abstract thought, we cannot separate the living soul from its sheath of non-living matter, i. e., the body. But the living embodied soul also can exhibit in the world such a high degree of manifestation of pure life and independence of nonliving matter, that we can form a very near idea, of a pure perfect soul. As we approach that idea we find that vitalities, and responsibility for doing and enjoying shrink more and more; and that conation and knowledge correspondingly increase in purity, extent, depth and fineness. From this it is justifiable to conclude that the ultimate idea of a perfect soul, i.e., the ideal soul will be identical with an individual consciousness which has perfect conation and perfect knowledge with their attendant perfect power and perfect bliss. Also that this stage must mean total separation or liberation from matter. Thus alone from a consideration of the obvious categories, of the living substance and non-living substance, gradually, and after very deep, persistent, patient, difficult, and long study and contemplation we can arrive at a conception of a Pure Soul, the Highest Self, the Ideal, God, or whatever other name you like.
Living substance rises higher and higher towards the condition of matterless living, and ultimately, when perfectly rid of matter, it attains an eternal condition of Pure Light in Self-Absorption and by nature ascends upwards to the top of universe.
There is no turning back, and no further bondage with matter, and no transmigrations. Its modifications there, consist of its own perpetual self-modification. It has perfect conation and perfect knowledge. It is itself. It is liberated. It is Pure Soul.
But excepting this condition of absolute purity, the soul's own pure qualities are effected by those of matter. So we find that attention, conation and knowledge, which are pure consciousness or its modifications, are observed in a mundane or embodied soul, to