Jain Journal 2004 07

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

Page 19

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JAIN JOURNAL VOL-XXXIX, NO. 1 JULY. 2004
LIFE SCIENCE AND JAINISM Dr. Rajjan Kumar
Life is ambiguous and mysterious. It can be studied in a better way by life sciences. The study and the scope of life and life-sciences are equally interesting and amazing. The wisdom burried in the ancient literature regarding life and life sciences by the Jaina Savantas is unlimited.
Animation, non-animation & Jainism
According to Jainism, animation (life) is caused by the unity of a non-physical (non-material) entity called soul or 'spirit' with a material body. That is, there is a subtle spiritual self associated with the gross physical body during the life, death is the separation of the two. Until emancipated, the soul is always developed by karman (as karmasarira). Thus, on death, what is separated from the physical body is soul cum-karma-sarira. It is the karma that is responsible for the organization of the physical body. An organism 'lives' for the duration of the life-span which is determined by one of the main categories of karman i.e. ayuşya karman'
However, the Jainas believe that there are only two fundamental entities viz. 1. Jiva 2. Ajiva. These two exhaust between them all that exists in the universe and Jain philosophy is based on the nature and interaction of these two elements. It can be said that the living and the non-living, by coming into contact with each other, forge certain energies which bring about birth, death and various other experiences of life. Spiritually these are considered as miseries but for practical consequences they are granted as the different stages of lives. Hence, they are called the riddles of life.
We have varieties of riddles of life. Jaina metaphysics through its seven fold approaches provides a satisfactory solution to the so called riddles of life, viz. creation, birth, death, pleasure, pain etc. These seven fold approaches of Jain-metaphysics not only solve the so-called varieties of life, but also put a platform which leads the path