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Jain Theism
clearly says that "it is the self which we should perceive, hear, of which we should meditate."12 Moreover ‘soul is the subject of all the forms of valid cognition thus soul is the knower. The senses are aid or media through which the soul gets the knowledge. Even when the sense becomes ineffective or damaged or totally destroyed the previous knowledge remains. A man who becomes blind does not forget all that he saw in the past. Even when we use phrases like the departed soul',
left for ever', etc, proves the existence of soul in the body. Let us also make a mention of some of the logical arguments that prove the existence of soul.
The existence of soul can be proved by its effective operation. "We do accept the existence of an invisible entity if its operative effect is visible” e.g. air, wind, electric current etc. The soul or. Jiva is invisible but its operative effects are visible. We ourselves - our very self is the operative effect. Life activities full of consciousness, which is the essence of soul, is the most glaring evidence of the existence of soul.
The existence of soul can be proved by negation. Negation proves the existence. Of course, in logic, we do not consider the negation as an independent Pramāņa but then we all use the language of 'is' and 'is not'. The negation hints non-existence at a particular place or time eg. the director is not in his office, or the body without soul etc. In fact, negation of an entity is only possible if it exists, otherwise, it is not possible. The negation of soul also proves the existence of soul. Even the word atheist (Nāstik) proves the existence of soul. One who says “is not' (Nāsti) if he is asked 'what is not ?' (Kim Nāsti ?) he would answer the soul is not. In Jainism there are four suggested by negation: the Sāmyog Nisedha, the Samavāya Nisedha, the Sāmānya Nişedha and the Višeşa Nişedha. We should not go into the details of these different modes of expressing a negation, but what we note is the fact that none of these negations proves the non-existence.
Just like the negation, the opposite also proves the existence. The opposite word proves the existence of the object e.g. happiness and unhappiness, conscious and unconscious, Jiva and Ajiva etc.
11. Trefa pitaharafar I -Chāndogyopanişad 7.1.3 12. BICHT AR geen scan than fifcenfeo: - Bịhadāranyakopanişad
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