Jain Tattva Parichay

Author(s): Ujjwala D Shah
Publisher: Veetrag Vani Prakashak

Page 47

Letter 6
Nature of Substance Letter 6
November 20, 1993. Dear Reena & Mona,
Blessings & Best Wishes. The substance, the attributes and the manifestation form the foundation stone of all Jain philosophy. Without their proper study it is impossible to fathom the depths of Jain scriptures.
Therefore it is of prime importance to acquire their knowledge first and this is possible only when we read and reread them several times and earnestly learn them. For the one who understands the substance, the attributes and the manifestations, will definitely understand the meanings of all Jain scriptures. He will have no difficulty in interpreting the exact meaning of the scriptures.
In the letter previous to this one, we had examined the nature of the cosmos in short. The entire area where all the substances are found is called Lok. The word Lok means to see.
All these substances are permanently existing. And they are numerically same in quantity. Not a single substance is newly created nor the existing ones are destroyed or cease to exist. They neither have a beginning nor an end. And they are infinite. Therefore the cosmos which comprises of all these substances is also beginingless and endless and is also infinite in its existence.
Once we are aware of this fact it gives us a great relief. Because we have been hearing that this world will come to an end after some crores of years, and we are worried with the idea that one day I am going to die, and we spend sleepless nights. So once we know the exact nature of this cosmos as endless or existing forever we are free of all these fears which breed out of misconceptions.
Thus by understanding just one fundamental question regarding the nature of the cosmos we experience great relief and peace of mind.
We are at peace once we realise that I am the soul which is indestructible or will never die. And secondly when we know that there is nobody who can destroy me and there is nobody other than me to protect me (because in fact there cannot be such a being), the feeling of subordination or being inferior to somebody vanishes.
The omniscient ones gained the knowledge about the nature of cosmos directly by themselves and preached it. That knowledge in turn is known by us through the scriptures. In other words what the omniscient ones understood or knew directly is known to us indirectly. And because of that it is established that we are also of the same nature as that of