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THE SIDDHANTA.
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possess some kind of substantiveness in order to exist; and the moment this is conceded, 'there is no escape from the dictum of the Jaina philosophy and its six realities.
Vedanta now takes refuge behind the nature of Mâyâ which it describes as inconceivable and for ever beyond the reach of intellect. But this is really tantamount to throwing up the brief, for no one has a right to preach what is inconceivable to him. Now, if the Vedantist maintain that he understands what he is talking about, Maya ceases to be incomprehensible; but if he say that he has not been able to comprehend it well, then he is talking of things which he does not understand, and has no right to be heard.
For similar reasons, Jainism is not prepared to accept the doctrine of those who say that consciousness arises from moment to moment. If this were true, it would follow that the mind is formed from successive sensations received from external objects, or is generated from time to time, i.e., in each moment, afresh.
"This is met by pointing out that on this theory, the mind that determines upon killing an animal is not the mind that kills it the next moment; hence this latter commits the act without any motivo and responsibility. And, further, the mind that has to suffer the consequences of this sin is neither the mind that planned the act nor the one that executed the plan......... If knowledge consists of passing sensations without the unity of apperception' to connect them, there can be no recognition."*
We next come to Buddhism, whose philosophy lays all the stress it can on the notion of a perpetual "becoming.” This system is also one-sided. Its conception
** An Introduction to Jainism' by N. Rangaji.
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