________________
90
FAITH KNOWLEDGE AND CONDUCT
In other cases, however, the recollection of the past is not possible for a reincarnated soul.
The reason for the disappearance of the central organ of the mind is to be found in the kind of life the individual might have lived. It would seem that the acquisition of the central organ of the mind is an indication of the yoke of slavery to the senses having been thrown off to a certain extent by the soul. For the lower animals (those endowed with one, or two, or three or four senses and some of the five-sensed species as well) who do not possess the central mental equipment are doomed to live in abject slavery to the senses. They cannot pause, deliberate and think, and cannot learn wisdom by experience. They cannot resist the appeal to their senses, and possess no memory. Again and again they will swallow the bait, in succession, without taking the warning. Those, on the other hand, who have evolved out the central organ of the mind, possess the ability to withstand the temptation. They can restrain themselves and wait; they recollect previous experiences and are guided by their recollections. The difference between the two types, in short, consists in the inability of the one and the ability of the other to withstand the appeal to the senses. In other words, the impulses are overpowering in the one case, but curbable in the other. Now, since the impulses are carried over by the soul from one life to another, those who possess
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
