Applied Philosophy of Anekanta

SR No.: 006966
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Shashiprajna Samni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati Institute
Publication Year: 2012
Total Pages: 220
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

Page 139

soul is also a kind of entity, it possesses infinite possibilities. It acquires innumerable varied attributes and modes continuously without any break and keeps on progressing in the various situations of life.
But here the point of disagreement lies in the fact that as the soul gets rid of the bondage of eight types of karma-s, they achieve the state of self-completeness. In that stage, there is no lack, no desire, not even any sort of possibility of becoming. But in Sartrean philosophy, for-itself has all the characteristics of Platonic becoming. It is always in the process of being built up in its ever renewing attempts at the realization of future projects. The nature of for-itself is persistent striving. He says, "for-itself i.e. consciousness is a being, which is what it is not and which is not what it is.” In this way,Sartre speaks in tune with Jain view of Reality which accepts infinite possibility of origination and cessation of modes in mundane soul. The question of this possibility does not arise in the case of being-initself. This means that it is neither passivity nor activity. Beingin-itself is never possible or impossible, it simply is.But Jains differ here. They believe that even matter also possesses infinite possibilities always open before it.
Once the Being for-itself stops choosing any possibility, it converts itself into an in-itself, something like a thing, which is not in tune with the view of the Jain philosophy. Jains believe that when all the possibilities are accomplished, being becomes omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent and self complete. But it never transforms into a thing-like Sartrean existence or in-itself. But Sartrean consciousness always keeps on transcending itself for future projects, only death can stop this transcendence and reduce it to a thing-like congealed something."
'W. T Jones. History of Western Philosophy. op.cit., p. 353. 2 Ibid, p. 353.
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