Microcosmology Atom in Jain Philosophy and Modern Science

SR No.: 002005
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jethalal S Zaveri, Mahendramuni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati
Publication Year: 1995
Total Pages: 266
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Science, Philosophy, & Religion
File Size: 14 MB

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A Critique mind as distinct from body, also deny the very existence of consciousness and soul as an independent entity. This is entirely in opposition to the Jain views. We have already discussed the materialists' concept in the metaphysical section earlier and we shall only add here a doubt which may be raised by the Jains regarding the materialist theory of emotions stated above. While accepting the invariable accompaniment of the bodily event and the mental event, a question at issue will be : Does the fear emotion precede and cause the gland excretion or does the gland excretion precede and cause the fear emotion ?
The concept of an independent psyche or immaterial mind of the mental hypothesis by the other psychological theories is obviously equivalent to the concept of bhāva manaḥ of the Jains. Bhāva manaḥ as we have stated above, is the innate capacity of jīva and is, therefore, immaterial. But, for the rational mental activities, dra vya manaḥ, which is the material counterpart of bhāva manaḥ is also essential. We have also seen that only highly developed or samjnin pañcendriya-animals and human beings are capable of forming dra vya manaḥ out of the material atoms of manaḥ vargaņā and, therefore, capable of rational mental activities. Thus, the mental hypothesis to some extent agrees with the Jain view.
INTELLECT (BUDDHI)
It will not be out of place to mention here (very briefly of course) an interesting feature of the Jain epistemology viz., four buddhis or intellects. Intellect is a variety of matijñāna i.e. perceptual cognition. There are four categories of matijñāna viz, knowledge (i) exclusively due to the sense-organs (ii) exclusively due to the mind (iii) due to the joint activity of the senses and the mind and (iv) knowledge independent of both mind and sense-organs viz, instinctive intuition. According to the Jain epistemology, all cognitions are nothing but different states of soul and as such are only cases of emergence and not origination proper, the senses and the mind being auxiliary conditions or instruments only. Instinctive intuitions of the plant kingdom as well as the underdeveloped animal organisms fall under category