________________
7) The Jaina Theory of the Soul
49
noumenal and phenomenal points of view. He says that jiva is characterised by upayoga, is formless and is an agent. It has the same extent as its body. It is the enjoyer of the fruits of Karma. It exists in samsāra. It is siddha and has a characteristic of upward motion. We get a similar description in the Pañcastikayasära of Kundakundācārya. Jiva is formless. It is characterised by upayoga. It is attached to karma. It is the Lord, the agent and the enjoyer of the fruits of Karma. It pervades bodies large or small. It has a tendency to go upward to the end of loka, being freed from the impurities of Karma.! The Tattvärthasūtra describes the nature of the soul as possessing upayoga as its essential characteristic.
Every Jiva possesses an infinite number of qualities. Glasenapp, in his Doctrine of Karma in Jaina Philosophy, mentions eight important characteristics :
1. The faculty of omniscience (kevala-jñāna) 2. The faculty of absolute undifferentiated cognition
(kevala-darsana). 3. Superiority over joy and grief. 4. Possession of belief in complete religious truth
(samyaktva), and irreproachable moral conduct (caritra) 5. Possession of eternal life (akṣāyasthiti). 6. Complete formlessness (amūrtatva) 7. Unrestricted energy (viryatva) 8. Complete equality in rank with other jivas.
The first characteristic of the soul is upayoga. The word upayoga is difficult to define. It is the source of experience. The cognitive, conative and affective aspects spring from it. It is differentia of the living organism. Umāsvāti says that
15. Dravyasamgraha, 2. 16. Pancāstikayasara, 27-28.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
