Jain Digest 1994 06 Special Issue

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

Page 18

JAINISM AND THE EXISTENCE OF
THE SOUL The question whether humans and other living beings indeed possess a soul, i.e., an immortal, eternal and invisible es- sence as the unifying factor between all beings, has been a controversial issue for many centuries, particularly in the Western world. At all times, doubts and arguments have been voiced to disclaim the existence of the soul, the main reason being that no one is actually able to see the soul Especially those among us who were born and raised in Western societies usually learn very soon in their lives only to believe what they can see...or at least hear, feel, touch or smell. In short, one -- if not more -- out of our five sense organs ought to be activated in order to perceive something as existent and, therefore, real. Philosophers and sages from both East and West usually counter argue with the statement that the soul is a self- contained entity, and that its existence is well proven. How- ever, because of the fact that it is formless, it is not percep- tible to the eyes nor to any of the other four sense organs. Since Jainism endorses the reality of the soul, how do Jaina defend their point of view? Basically, Jain philosophers contend that there is no reason to disbelieve what is imperceptible to us; after all if someone asks us if our ancestors have ever really existed, we certainly would answer in the affirmative even though we have never seen them with our own eyes. But judging from our own existence, we conclude that they must have existed as well. How can we see the root of a plant? We know there has to be one, simply because of the fact that the plant is alive and thriving: it grows leaves, flowers and fruit. Therefore, we hold the viewpoint that the root is the necessary cause of the effect (the plant). This effect is one of the actions of the soul (atma), i.e., one of the ways in which the soul manifests itself, it is said in the Jain teachings. It is perceptible in a living human because he moves, walks, plays and works in various ways. He even thinks - which is not possible for a dead human. A split second before death actually occurs, one can still see movements - however subtle - in a human body, conversely, after the person has died all movements will have ceased. From this, so the Jain philosophers argue, it
should be evident that a) there is a soul residing in each human body, b) the soul goes away when the body dies, and c) there is no soul in a dead body. In this way, the effect of the existence of the soul is obviously perceptible to us, and therefore, we should be able to comprehend the reality of such an immortal essence. Jainism maintains that the body is the abode of the soul. The resident who dwells in a house is distinct and separate from the house. If this house should collapse or the period of tenancy comes to an end, the resident will leave the house and, presumably, start to live somewhere else in another dwelling. It is the same with the soul. When the duration of time of the existence of the soul in the body comes to an end, that same soul goes away to another place (which is determined by a person's deeds in this and past lives), i.e., it will live in another body until that lifespan is over at which point the entire process will be repeated -- according to the law of karma. In this way, the line of births and deaths continue on and on until the circle of rebirths is finished. The eternal question of “Who am I?" automatically establishes the existence of a soul. A material thing such as a table, cloth, or vessel doesn't have any perception that it exists. Only when there is a soul in the body does it speak such words as "I am happy" or "I am sad, or is able to feel any emotions and sensations at all, because knowledge is an attribute of the soul only -- not of physical matter. Why can't dead humans see? It is because the eye is not able to see in and by itself; it is the soul that sees and uses the eye as an instrument. Just as the fire in firewood and the yogurt in milk are not perceptible to us though latent in them, the soul is also not perceptible even though it exists in the body. In summation, then, the main argument for the existence of the soul according to Jainism is, that although we are not able to directly perceive the soul with our ordinary five senses, we are able to perceive the effects (actions) of the soul without which all living beings would cease to exist as such. And this perception of the ways in which the soul manifests itself is seen in Jainism as a proof that it truly exists.
"If you can surrender, If you can become like a five year old child... Innocent and pure, then you can know your reality.”
Guruji
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June 1994 Jain Digest
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