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THE JAINA GAZETTE
which I understand are not mentioned in other philosophies: they are two kinds of ether (one, the fulcrum of motion, the other, the fulcrum of rest). The universe is a system of itself subject to laws in its own constitution. And by laws' is meant, not commands, but the results of observation, which teaches that certain phenomena occur regularly in certain circumstances. With regard to the above mentioned six substances or things which make up the universe, space is that which contains the others and does not itself need to be contained, space does not have the nature of needing to be contained. The two ethers have coinciding boundaries and thus the moving and stationary things in the world are confined to one part and are not scattered throughout infinite space. Time, in the sense in which it is only figuratively called a substance, is the duration of the states of things. Matter is that which is tangible and visible and which has the other sensible qualities of taste and smell. These five things, space, time, two ethers, and matter, are insentient and unconscious, they are not alive. The remaining constituent of the universe is an infinity of living beings, and the characteristic which distinguishes them from other things is sentience or consciousness (chetan). These six substances exist, always did exist, and always will, are beginningless and endless, uncreate and indestructible. Matter consists of ultimate units; if we call the ultimate unit an atom, it is in the sense that it is not composed of other smaller units. Living beings are individuals, of which there is an infinity. Each of these six substances is knowable, and is the subject of origination, destruction and permanence; that is to say origination of a new modification, destruction of the old modification, and permanence of the changing substance. For instance, when the adult has come into being, the child has gone out of existence, while the individual remains himself; or, if water is boiled, steam is originated, the water as water is destroyed, while the substance remains what it is. There never was a time when these six things were all one homogeneous substance, or when they were not differentiated. Each remains what it is, space never becomes matter; matter Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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