ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

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Periodic table in science show the number of basic elements found to date to be 102 (now gone up to 118). The table also shows some blank positions and the possibility of more basic elements existent but not found till now. Jains talk of a possibility of 4(8/2 touch)*5(colors)*5(taste) *2 (odors) = 200 possible elements in which parm Scan combine to give different elements. Water should be boiled and strained before drinking. Absence of this shows over 4000 persons dying everyday by taking impure water. Mah vra's principle of satj vanik ya talks of air / water / fire / earth and plant bodied living beings and the living beings with moving bodies. It is extremely useful to analyze and propagate basis and essentiality of environmental protection practices. Concept of parms being the smallest indivisible part of matter of Jains as established by Bohr in his atomic theory. Matter emits light (Sir CV Raman), Sound is matter (Galileo and Newton) and plants have life (JC Bose) are the principles, which have been accepted by scientific research so far. Detailed description of matter as skandha, parm ns is indeed getting established by scientific research now. Similarly we find a number of other concerns proved by science about the constituents of universe.
The properties of matter such as ability of many atoms to co-exist in the same space point, conversion of matter into energy etc as given in Jain texts have been proved by scientific discoveries.
Similarly there are a number of significant factors concerning cosmos, matter besides the soul which are based on actual experiences of omniscient lords and can be verified by scientific experiments if enough effort is made in a systematic manner.
In the present time cycle, Jains talk of 24 t rtha karas or the Jinas who attained perfection and also guided others to do so. di N tha/Rsabha Deva is the first and Mah vra is the last i.e. 24th tratha kara.
Other considerations Jains talk of a classless society with every human being, be they male or female, having the potential to achieve perfection and liberation. The level of knowledge of an individual is inversely proportional to the thickness of the karmic veil on his soul.
Path of purification: Jains believe in the theory of reincarnation or the transmigration of empirical soul. This transmigration is determined by the karmas or the activities of the individual soul and every soul has the capability to come out of the cycle of transmigration and attain liberation or moksa i.e. an everlasting state of bliss and infinite knowledge.
Right faith-knowledge-conduct when practiced together is the path to attain liberation. Right belief means the belief in the existence and attributes of soul and other types of substances. Right belief causes spiritual awakening in the person. Knowledge is right if it is without any doubts or oppositions or indecisiveness. Right conduct is the ethical practices as per the Jain code of conduct for monks. Let us look at each a little in details.
A spiritually awakened person can be identified with the five characteristics i.e. Calmness & tranquility ( ama and pra ama); aspiration after freedom (Sa vega): Absence of hankering (nirvega): Compassion (an kamp ) and Belief in existence of soul (astikeya). The eight limbs of right belief are: Freedom from doubt (Ni a kita); Freedom from anticipation (Nik kşita); Freedom from disgust (Nirvicikits ); Freedom from delusive notions (Am dhadrsti); Protecting (Upag han). Promoting stability (Sthithikara a): Illuminating or enhancing the Jaina ideology (Prabh van ) and disinterested affection (V tsalya). The first four limbs are formulated in a negative sense so as to point out the negative tendencies or views in the person. The last four are stated in a positive manner designating new attributes to a new social nature or practice of the individual towards others. There are four
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0