Essential Philosophy of Hinduism Buddhism and Jainism

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Z_Selected_Speeches_of_V_R_Gandhi_002018.pdf

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matter is postulated-both of them existing as separate entities; so far as both of them exist as entities, they may be classed under one category the existence, the substance-one the material, the other the spiritual. Both of them have their qualities and modifications. But while the Vedantist says that the modification of a substance is a phenomenon and therefore unreal and the substance itself is the only reality, a Jaina says that substance and its modification are inseparable. Though a substance is different from its modification, neither of them can exist without the other. Though gold may be said to be in a sense different from a gold ring, a gold ring does not exist apart from gold, nor do you find gold existing separate from some modification or form. When an old form or modification is destroyed, a new one is produced and in both cases we have the same substance. This leads us to the Jaina theory of the origin of the Universe. Jainism has two ways of looking at things-one called the Dravyarthika Naya and the other the Paryayarthika Naya. The production of a gold ring is the production of something not previously existing (at least not as a ring) if we think of it from the latter point of view, i.e., as a Paryaya or modification; while it is not the production of something not previously existing, when we look at it from the former point of view, ie., as a Dravya or substance. So the Universe looked upon as a totality is eternal; when looked upon in its several parts and modifications there is in it creation and destruction every moment. The Jaina philosophy classifies the whole cosmos under the two
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