Outlines of Jaina Philosophy

SR No.: 011084
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: Jain Mission Society Bangalore
Publication Year: 1954
Total Pages: 195
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 7 MB

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OUTLINES OF JAINA PHILOSOPHY
dharmāstikāya is regarding motion. As a tree is helpful to a person who is coming from a far distance in the hot sun and wants to have some rest under it, so is the nature of adharmāstikāyu to help the souls and matter when they take rest. Both these substances have the capability of rest but unless there is the medium of rest, they cannot take rest. Hence, it is called the auxiliary cause of rest, Dharma and adharma pervade all the parts of the universe as oil pervades the whole of a mustard seed. The conception of dharma and adharma as the categories of substance is a unique contribution of Jaina philosophy. ĀKĀSĀSTIKAYA
Know that which is capable of allowing space to the jīvas, pudgala, dharma, adharma, and kāla to be ākāśa, according to Jainism. Ākāśa is eternal, all pervasive, and all the objects of the universe exist in it and it has no form. It is a single substance having indefinite pradeśas. Hence, it is called astikāya. A kāśāstikāya is of two divisions : lokākāśa and alokākāśa. Loka is that place in which dharma, adha;ma, kāla, budgala and jiva exist. That which is beyond this lokāklīsa is called alokākāśa.2 Jainism believes in two varieties of space. One is called lokākāśa or that space in which all other substances exist. This variety of space is called ' universe' in our ordinary language. Jainism does not believe in this universal space only but admits space beyond the universe as well. It holds that the universal space is only lokākāśa. There is alokākāśa as well which is pure space. In this space, no substance of the universe exists; hence, it is called alokākāśa. This division is not in ākāśa itself but it is due to its relation with the other five substances. Hence, ākāśa is a single substance which has indefinite pradeśas. When it is relatively divided into lokākāśa and alokākāśa-lokākāśa has innumerable pradeśas, while alokākāśa has indefinite pradeśas. Having taken innumerable pradeśas, i.e., the pradeśas of lokākāśa from ākāśa as a whole, the remaining pradeśas of alokākāśa are still indefinite 3 Space is self-supported, while the other substances are not so. They are accommodated in it.
i Vardhamāna-purāņa, XVI, 31. 2 Dravya-sangraha, 19. 3 Compare :--Pürnasya purnamuidāya purnamerāraśışyate.