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128
Tattvarthasutra
[5. 23-24]
Pudgala has extraordinary modes that possess touch, taste, smell, and color. 23. They also possess qualities of sound, bondage, subtlety, grossness, position, differentiation, darkness, shadow, heat, and illumination. 24. In Buddhist philosophy, the term 'pudgala' is used in the sense of 'living being,' while in other philosophies like Vaisheshika, physical substances such as earth are not considered to possess all four qualities (touch, taste, smell, and color). Instead, earth is viewed as having four qualities, water as tasteless with three qualities, fire as devoid of smell and taste with two qualities, and air as possessing only the quality of touch. Similarly, they do not consider the mind to possess all four qualities. The aim of this sutra is to demonstrate the differences with Buddhism and other philosophies. This sutra reveals that in Jain philosophy, the entities of living beings and pudgala are distinct. Therefore, the term pudgala is not used for the essence of living beings. I have mentioned this here. Specialized practitioners should investigate the unchanging. The late Baraiji was an extraordinary knower of Jain philosophy.
Just like the reasoning provided for the qualities of the light and heavy (aguru-laghu), a similar reasoning is presented in the Jain tradition in support of dharma-stikaya and adharma-stikaya. It should be understood from a comparative perspective. Both matter and consciousness are considered to be moving; therefore, regardless of where they may roam in space, both bodies (kaya) are considered as regulatory, and it is said that their existence confines the motion of moving substances to the realms of the universe. Just as these two kinds are adjudged to regulate the movement, so should the qualities of light and heavy be accepted.
For the limitation of motion, one may consider the nature of the moving substance itself or perceive the manifestation of space, and if both of these kinds are not acknowledged, what inconsistency arises? Such a question naturally arises. However, this subject being of ahētuvāda, merely seeks to support the established conclusions. This matter is not about hetu-vāda or reasoning, wherein one acknowledges or dismisses these bodies solely through argument. Even with respect to support for the qualities of light and heavy, one fundamentally has to rely on ahētuvāda. Ultimately, hetu-vāda is only meant to affirm ahētuvāda; it does not proceed without this acceptance. In this way, in all philosophies, some subjects fall within the boundaries of ahētuvāda and hetu-vāda.