Book Title: Jain Philosophy
Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Agamoday Samiti

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 271
________________ 242 cation is based on the number of organs of sense they have developed. Besides thr category of living being, there is one of inanimate substances. These are matter, two kinds of ether (one, the fulcrum of motion, the other, the fulcrum of rest), and space. We must bear in mind that ether and space are not matter in the Jain view. Matter has various qualities and relition ships which the former do not possess. Time is also called a substance in a figurative sense, a generilization of the moving activities of things and beings. Every living being, from the minutest to the highest embodied one, is the centre of innumerable potential and actual energies, which are called Karmas in the Jain Philosophy. The word "Karma" has an interesting history. In the Vedas it means the performance of sacrifices, offering of oblations to nature-gods and names of deceased ancestors. Karma-marga--the path of works-is nothing but ritualistic Brahmanism. In the words of Sir Monier Williams: "Not even Jewish literature contains so many words relating to sacrifice as the literature of the Brabinirs. The due presentation of sacrificial offerings formed the very kernel of all religious service. Hymn, praise and prayer, preachjpg, teaching, and repetition of the sacred words of Scripture were only subsidiary to this act. Every Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406