Jain Digest 1990 07 Vol 17 No 03

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 8

5
Letters To The Editor
JAIN DIGEST
Jain Digest invites reader's views, discussion and feedback on any items of concern, for the Jain community or to start a discussion/debate on some topic or subject which has relevance to the Jain community. Please feel free to write to the editor.
Note: The editor reserves the right to honor any letters he feels appropriate for the Jain Digest. If necessary, letters will be edited with caution to provide space for needed articles and
announcements.
Editor, Jain Diegest
I have been a regular reader of the Jain Digest but this time with your efforts, you have really done wonderful and pleasant changes to the style, quality and printing of our digest.
I was very much impressed and delighted to see such a beautiful and informative digest of our religion. Your methods of dividing the digest into five sections is very good and gives the reader a clear picture of the contents of the digest.
Kindly accept my heartiest congratulations for your work as editor-in-chief. Please keep it up. I wish and pray Paramkrupaln Parmatma's blessings be showered on you and all the members of the Executive Advisory Board. Jai Jinendra, Harakhchand Gala
8910 S. Wilmot Rd.
Tuscson, AZ
Editor, Jainism and Relativity
It is well known that relativity of observation, thinking and expression are the basis of Jain theology called Syadvada or Anekantavada. Jainism acknowledges the existence of two independent existences called Jiva (soul) and Pudgala (matter). In Einstein's Relativity, these have to be identified as spacetime continuum and mass, whereby the continuum nature of spacetime makes it to be a non-material nature as against "mass" which can only be associated with something having a material nature. Since in Jain theology Pudgala has no consciousness, and Jiva is characterized by consciousness, it has be be understood that spacetime continuum has to be identified with consciousness, especially because of its non-material identification.
An interesting aspect of Jain theology is to look upon time as a kind of matter which is understood to exist in 5 forms called dravyas. From the recently developed field of transcommunication, it has been been confirmed that time has a material nature consisting of particles and experienced in higher levels of consciousness. In Jain theology, knowledge is gained in 5 stages with the 5th and final stage of consciousness being Kevalagyan or the experience of non-duality. In Einstein's relativity, the state of duality is expressed by spacetime continuum on one side and man on the other.
One of the results of my own investigations connects gravitation with electromagnetism (reported at an international congress for free-energy in October 1989 in Switzerland) and shows the speed of electromagnetism to be a non-constant. In other words, the idea of spacetime continuum has be modified to include man. This would mean that space, man and time are
Jain Education Intemational 2010_02
three faces of the one and same reality or Kevala. Hence, Jiva and Pudgala are not two independent existences but two forms of one Existence. This is experienced as Kevalagyan or the Brahman consciousness of Hinduism.
Dr. V. Malavalli
6078 Neu Isenburg 2
Schonbornring 16, West Germany.
Calendar of Events
July 4 Discourses on Jainism. Huber Park Field House, Glenview, IL.
July 5 & 6 - Discourses on Jainism. Residence of Niranjan and Lata Shah, Des Plaines, IL.
July 7 - Yoga and meditation session. Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington.
July 8-Speech in Gujrati by H. H. Bandhu Triputi at the Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington.
July 8 to 14 - Arhum Family Camp. Siddhachalam. 65 Mud Pond Rd., Blairstown, NJ 07825 (Route 85 W, Exit 12).
July 14 & 15 - Program with H. H. Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu at the Jain Society of Metroplitan Washington
July 15 - Religious Class at the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago.
August 10 - Bhavna and youth discussion. Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington,
August 17 to 24 - Paryushan Parva with H. H. Amarendra Muniji. Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington.
August 17 to 25 Paryushan ceremonies, Jain Society of Detroit, Northwest Unitarian Church.
August 18 to 26 - Paryushana Maha Parva, Jain Center of Northern California.
August 24 - Samvatsari Pratikraman. Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington.
August 25 & 26 - Panch Teertha bus trip to temples in NJ and NY. Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington.
August 19 to 25 - ICANA Conference, Toronto, Canada. Several scholars are expected to participate. For more information, contact Lalit C. Shah of Jain International, presently visiting the US, at (714) 730-5425 or JAINA President at (513) 777-1554.
INDIA PILGRIMAGE TOUR - November 1990. For information, please contact the Jain Meditation International Center, 244 Ansonia Station, New York, NY 10023-9998; (212) 3626483.