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CHAPTER VII
JUDGMENT
According to Jainism, an object has three fundamental characteristics: origination, decay and permanence. Every object that seems to be permanent is liable to both origination and decay. In the same way, everything that seems to originate and perish has an aspect of permanence. All things including the flame of a lamp which is generally believed to be momentary and space that is believed to be permanent are subject to the law of origination, decay and permanence. The Jaina thinkers reject the definition of permanence (nityatva) given by other schools. They do not believe in absolute changelessness. According to the Jainas, the permanent is that which continues to exist in spite of origination and decay. They argue what would origination and dacay belong to, if nothing continues? A continuous reality must be posited for the very possibility of origination and decay. Modes, i.e., origination and decay, and essence, i.e., permanence, exist together in a substance. Neither is origination possible without decay and permanence, nor is decay possible in the absence of origination and permanence, nor is permanence tenable without origination and decay. All the three retain their respective existence on the basis of mutual co-operation. They are not heterogeneous elements, as generally supposed, but they possess the nature of homogeneous elements. Jainism differs equally from those who hold that all is absolutely permanent and those who hold that all is absolutely momentary, and also from those who hold that some things are absolutely permanent and some are absolutely momentary. According to Jaina philosophy, reality is both permanent and momentary. This criterion belongs to all things.
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