Defiition of Living in Jain Cannons An Evaluation

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Z_Umravkunvarji_Diksha_Swarna_Jayanti_Smruti_Granth_012035.pdf

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Definition of the Living in Jaina Cannons : An Evaluation
ON. L. Jain
The living reality does not exist for the materialists like Charvakas and Buddhas. They seem to believe in spontaneous generation of life. They attribute all the properties assigned to the living to the complex combination of five elements. The continuity or feeling of similarity is said to be due to continuing streams of knowledge. In general, they have a material view of life.
The Ajivikas seem to make an advance on this view by assuming a seperate reality. Though material in nature, it has a transmigration properties--a non-aryan theme according to Basbam.1 It is atomic, circular or octagonal in shape, and blue in color. Basham has called some of these ideals as strange, fantastic and bisarre.
Many other philosophies postulate seperate existence of the living denoting it by several names. The Sankhyas call it Purusha, the NyayaVaisheshikas call it 'soul or Atma' and the Vedantins and Jainas call it Jiva or Atma. Each of these systems have its own description about it containing many similar and dis-similar points. The first three systms (S, N, V.) stand on non-material nature of the living in its pure state. its other qualities like knowledge etc. being adventitious. It could not be identified without its association with linga sharir (S), Sukshma sharira (I)-different names of the fine physical body. That is why, the living one in the world is said to be impure with self-purification as its aim. How the inert pure living becomes impure, does not become very clear from literature for the common man.
The Jainas 2 postulate the seperate existance of the living on the ground of doubt, the realisation of l' and substratum of consciousness as by the Vaisheshikas. Its existence is also proved by its manifold functions. They have taken a dualistic and realistic approach regarding its descripion contained in large number of Jaina cannons and their commentaries. It has been described in many ways and scholars have explored about its spiritual aspects. However, proper attention does not seem to have been given regarding the biological concepts about it despite some attempts by Lodha, Jain, Sikdar 5 and Pralayankar 6. It will be endeavoured here to sum up and evaluate the overall Jaina picture in this regard.