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Mahavira & Self Concept / 47
8.
Self Consciousness and Mind
Jain philosophers have described consciousness as the fundamental characteristic of life. Jaina texts have used two words upayoga and cetana in the sense of consciousness. Upayoga means that which can serve a function. Main function of consciousness is knowledge. The formless upayoga is understood as vision. Jaina view of consciousness stands for passive experience of agreeable or disagreeable phenomena. It also suggests the consciousness of purposive activity. The more complicated physical state, according to Jain concept is associated with or rather leading to pure knowledge. Cetana is understood as consciousness while upayoga serves the function of consciousness. A new earthen pot does not get wet by two or three drops of water but when it is moistened again and again it gets wet because the water is absorbed by the pot. But after repeated pouring down of the drops of water a stage comes when the water becomes visible. Jain concept acknowledges the existence of selves without mind besides the existence of selves with mind. Mind is unmanifest, it is called no indriya.
