Ahimsa and Jainism

Author(s): Vijayvallabhsuri
Publisher: Vallabhsuri Smarak Nidhi

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soul. The Jain belief is that the soul is nityanitya (eternal and non-eternal at the same time ) in its worldly existence. The Buddhists hold that it is ever-changing and non-eternal. The next step in the application of the doctrine is to try to reconcile the two views. In this synthetical process, one has to take into consideration two different viewpoints, viz., dravyarthika (realistic) and paryayarthika ( practical ), which are called nayas in Jainism.
According to the realistic viewpoint, the soul or jiva is eternal, because its uncompounded simplicity does not permit of change; hence the philosophers who hold this belief are right if they consider the soul in its essentiality. On the other hand, those who believe that the soul is everchanging are also right from the practical viewpoint, since the soul loses its purity because of desires and ambitions and because it is imprisoned in the body as a result of one's actions. Jaini thougth reconciles the two extreme views and offers the message of immortality, which is similar to the one found in the Rig Veda : " That which is immortal in mortals and possessed of truth is a god and established inwardly as an energy
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