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The General Conception of Knowledge
93
body, are not introspections; as they depend on external senses. They refer to something external and they are not personal.
Moreover, the soul and the body are separate entities as they are different in nature like fire and water. The nature of the soul is consciousness, while that of body is tangibility. The soul is self-luminary and incorporeal. The body is cognised by something other than itself and it is corporeal.
The separateness of the self from the body is further proved on the basis of their different cognizability. dhe self is experienced internally through introspection while the body is known externally through senses. If the self is accepted as a product of the physical elements it should be the object of senses. Though, the cognition of the external objects also is assisted by the mind; yet mind is not the only instrument there. The mind does not work there until the object is presented by the senses. In the case of soul external senses are helpless.
Moreover, the consciousness according to Cārvāka, is either manifestation of the physical elements or their production. In the first case the soul is automatically proved as an eternal entity. Manifestation implies that it is not actually produced. One can say that manifestation is not necessarily a contradictory to production. A jar is produced as well as manifested. The Jaina replies that the jar is manifested only when it has been already produced. It is not manifested in respect of its existence. Manifestation is related with its appearance only. But, the consciousness if accepted manifested in all cases it cannot be held as generated, and the factor of always manifestedness would prove the self of consciousness as an eternal entity separate from the body and physical elements.
The second alternative that the elements produce consciousness also does not stand the logical test. In this case the elements are either material cause (upādāna karaña) of consciousness or the auxiliary cause (oimitta karana). In the latter case, one will have to seek for the material cause some where else;
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