Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
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Pudgala is a substance type that is concrete i.e. with touch, taste, smell and color attributes. It is active like j va. However unlike j va, its activity is not purposive to spontaneously result in its manifestation of its nature. It is thus affected to a large extent by j va and is capable of greatly affecting i va, due to its omnipresence. It is a major component of empirical soul and almost all knowledge acquired by empirical soul is through the use of matter as a means or the medium
Tattv rtha Stra (V.19-21) describes the benefits and uses of pudgala for va as
ar rav dmamanah prp
n pudgal nm
sukhdukhaj vitamara opagrah
ca,
parasparograhoj v nm
Thus matter is of immense use to the j va. Identification of empirical souland its activities are all due to matter associated with it. Even acquisition of knowledge by i va to rid / dissociate itself of matter is matter. Spoken words, activities of mind, body and speech, thoughts are all matter.
Matter has eight types (4 pairs of existent-non existent attributes) of touches (2 out of 4 present at a time in any parm u), 5 colors, 5 tastes and two smell types. Thus a total of 200 different types of aggregate (i.e, of different characteristics) can be formed. Science has to date found 114 types of basic elements.
3. Srava or influx Activities (called yoga in Jain texts) of mind, body and speech cause vibrations in the environment around soul. These vibrations cause the k rmana varaga s (matter particles) flow towards the soul. This flow of k rmika particles towards soul is called srava. The soul forgets its own nature due to its being veiled by k rmika impurities called karmas themselves. J va's involvement in the transmigratory cycle is due this influx. Just like water flows in a pond through a number of streamlets, so also karma particles flow towards soul from all directions due to activities of mind, body and speech.
K yav manah karma yoga . TS/VI/1
sa srava . TS/VI/2
3.1 Punya (merit) and P pa (demerit) According to Um Sw mi, there are two kinds of influx namely: Puny srava or influx of meritorious k rmika particles and P p srava or influx of De-meritorious k rmika particles. Auspicious activities of mind body and speech are the causes of meritorious influx while inauspicious activities of mind body and speech are the causes of de-meritorious influx. If we add these two to the seven verities then we have nine pad rthas.
What is good and what is bad? Killing, stealing, copulation, etc are the wicked activities of the body. Thoughts of violence, envy, calumny etc are wicked thought activities. Opposites of these are good activities. An activity performed with good intentions is good and those performed with bad intention is bad. Good activities and intentions are the cause of influx of meritorious particles while evil activities and intentions are the cause of influx of de-meritorious particles.
3.2 Two types of influx. Influx is also classified in another way as follows:
Bh v srava or psychic influx Dravy srava or matter influx
The former is concerned with thought activities and the later with actual influx of matter particles. The causes of the former i.e. psychic influx are activities of five senses like attachment, e.g. flow of
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0
