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Biology in Jaina Treatise on Reals
reference to context. This chapter deals with twelve points regarding the living beings.
The living being has been defined in two terms with reference to (i) five psychical volitions based on manifestable forms of different karmas and (ii) perceptible attribute of potential and functional conciousness. Each volition has been exemplified by common examples like subsided mud or intoxication power of fermented grains. It is said that the karmic subsidence occurs due to proper time and birth. Similarly, the righteousness is caused due to many factors like (i) memory of earlier birth (ii) listening of religious sermons (iii) sight of Jina images (iv) sight of super-accomplished persons and (v) experience of pains etc. The subsidencial volitions are mainly due to deluding karma. The desctructional volition is produced due to the destruction of knowledgeobscuring and conation-obscuring karmas along with obstructive karma.
During the discussion of eighteen varieties of destruction-cumsubsidencial volitions, the term 'supervariform' has been properly defined. Its varieties involve species of destructive as well as non-destructive karmas by implication. The conjunctional volition, if it exists, is included either in the 'mixed volition' or taken from the word 'Ca' (and) in the aphorism 2.1. It has 26, 36, 41 etc. varieties with reference to different conjunctions of five volitions.
In discussing inherent volition, it is said that though the existence of worldly soul is recognised by the physical forms of destinities, vitalities, lifespan karma etc., but they do not form its basic nature which consists of (i) psychical volitions and (ii) functional conciousness. The potential and functional conciousness due to internal and external, seperable and inseperable causes (aph. 2.8) is the differentia of the living being. It may have eleven other characteristics common in other reals also. They are secondarily inherent.
These volitional characters refer to the karmically-bonded beings and not others. The karmic bondedness is infinite and there is continuous bonding and shedding of karmas. They are like alcohol which does not intoxicate the senses but the living soul. The Cārvāka materialism and Buddha's knowledgeism is logically refuted.
2. Definition of the living beings in terms of conciousness
The explanatory has defined the term 'definition' before characterising the living being. It is a differentiation point between substances or realities. It may be seperable like the stick of Devadutta or non-seperable like hotness of the fire. There is a good logical discussion about conciousness being the definition of the living.
The existence of soul can not be negated due to its (i) direct imperceptibility (ii) changeable attributes and (iii) causelessness as there are logical flaws of contrariness, inconclusiveness and un-provenness in this
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