________________
emme The Jaina Philosophy nature, but to become one like that; not that that spiritual entity will make us by a magic power become like itself, but by following out the ideal which is before our eyes we shall be able to change our own personality, it will be regenerated, as it were, and will be changed into a being which will have the same character as the divinity which is our idea of God. So we worship God, not as a being who is going to give us something, not because it is going to do something to please us, not because it is profitable in any way; there is not any idea of selfishness; it is like practising virtue for the sake of virtue and without any other motive.
Now we come to the idea of soul. The ordinary idea of soul substance is that in order for a thing to exist it must have form, must be perceived by the senses. That is our ordinary experience. Really speaking it is the experience only of the sensuous part of the being, the lowest part of the human entity, and from that experience we derive conclusions and think that these conclusions apply to all substance. There are substances which cannot be perceived by the senses; there are subtler sensations and entities and these can be known only by the consciousness, by the soul.
Such a substance, which cannot be seen, heard, tasted, smelled or touched, is a substance which need not occupy space, and need not have any tangibility, but it may exist, although it may not have any form (and that substance does not require any space, is intangible and cannot be seen), Sight is an impression made on the nerves of the eyes by vibrations sent forth from the object perceived and this impression which we call sight, if there are no vibrations coming out of the object, is of course not produced, but if this substance influences us in certain ways, the implication is that there is something moving or producing vibrations, and these can not exist unless there is some material substance which is vibrating.
- 78
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
