Jain Journal 1991 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 34

OCTOBER, 1991
1
same way the reaction between karmic matter and soul take place. Jains have used the word Pudgala (-pud = join, gala-break) for this mass-energy equivalence. There is no such word for this concept in modern science because the terminology of modern science is derived from Greek/Latin.
2. Karmic Fusion and Vegetarianism
Our aim is to minimize the intake of these karmons. That is one of the reasons why vegetarianism has become part of Jainism. True Jains will not even eat onions etc. but will eat apples etc. You might wonder what is the reason for this? The reason put forward is that there are more 'life units' in an onion than in an apple. From one apple tree, one gets a large number of apples but from one onion one gets only another onion. Thus an onion must have more life units than that of an apple! Therefore the consumption of onions gives rise to the intake of more karmons than apples. You can extend this idea to other foods-thus Jains operate a very strict type of vegetarianism.
3. Karmons and Obscuration of Knowledge
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To bring rationality into thinking one should also look at Jain Logic. Jainism believes in Syadvāda so that everything is conditioned by our knowledge at a particular time-and there is nothing absolutely known unless the soul is "perfect", - that is, when the divine quality of Jainness is fully developed. Soul with karmic matter is like crude oil compared with petrol the more refined it is the more power it has. Non-absolutism in thinking is what is recommended in Jainism. This principle operates clearly in the scientific research; yesterday the smallest particle was the proton-today it is a quark and so on.
Also Jain logic recommends relativity in thinking or holistic principle called Anekantavāda. Consider the example of the six blind men and an elephant. One who touches the tail says it is a rope, one who touches the leg says it is a pillar and so on. What one requires is to look at every aspect of life and matter. This story was popularized in the West by J. G. Saxe (1816-1877). The poem by J. G. Saxe is worth quoting :