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Jainism, Quantum Physics and Evolving Spiritualism
-Dr. M. B. Modi
1. Introduction
I am a senior retired DRDO scientist presently engaged in research on Jain Agams. Our research is unique and different from others. We are searching science in Jain Agams. We believe Mahavir's spirituality is not about religion, God or rituals but it is about Truth and oneness of the universe. He preferred education to devotion and knowledge to faith. Jainism is more relevant to the modern times because Jainism is not a religion or philosophy in the conventional sense. The goal in life of a Jain monk is not to search heavenly abode or proximity to God but to achieve Godliness through knowledge or Kewal Gyan.
Jain Shramans followed radically different path, the path of education and knowledge. They believed that correct understanding of the universe, self and body is very essential for liberation. Samyag Drasti, Samyag Gyan and Samyag Achar1or 'Right Vision, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct' can only lead to eternal peace and bliss. A person with right vision and right knowledge can differentiate between Absolute Truth (Sat), Relative Truth or Reality (Asat), and falsehood or Mithyatwa, emphasized Mahavira. Absolute truth is eternal while the relative truth varies with frame of reference and therefore truth may have different meaning for different people. Kewal Gyan or knowledge of absolute and relative truth is the state of Nirvana or liberation.
Unlike Buddha Bhagwan Mahavir made scientific statement that Truth is 'Absolute' as well as Relative. Absolute Truth is known only to the universal observer. The human beings know truthonly relative to Space, Time, Mass and Phase. Hence according to the frame of reference, Truth may have different meaning for different people. About 2500 years later, Einstein came out with similar statement which made him the greatest scientist of the world but Mahavir remained in oblivion.
Like modern scientists Mahavir also believed that the Atom is the ultimate particle of matter and beyond matter is pure consciousness or pure energy. Max Plank repeated Mahavir's sentiments- "I regard consciousness as
