Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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Jain Philosophy in Historical Outline
and Candrakirti in the Mādhyamikavýtti.
Four kinds of Sassatavāda i.e., those who hold that the soul and the world exist eternally, are mentioned in the Buddhist texts. The attā (õtman) or soul continues for ever without any change. It is the speaker, feeler and enjoyer of the fruits of good and evil actions (Kamma), is permanent (nicca), fixed (dhruva) and unchangeable (avipariņāmadhamma). This doctrine had some bearing on the Sārņkhya, since the latter also contains the idea of puruşa as soul. The Buddhists were opposed to this doctrine because of their faith in momentariness and the denial of a permanent entity. The Ekaccasassatavāda or Partial Eternalism, which was also divided into four groups, holds that the body and the sense organ are impermanent while the mind or consciousness is permanent. It recalls the contents of the Maitri Upanişad according to which the soul is pure (śuddha), tranquil (śānta) and eternal (śāśvata) and the body is possessed of the reverse qualities. The speculations of the Antānantikas, also subdivided into four groups, are mainly cosmological in character, according to which (1) the world is limited in extent and circular in shape (2) unlimited in extent and without any end (3) limited upwards and downwards but unlimited breadthwise and (4) neither limited nor unlimited. The Buddhist texts mention four kinds of Amarāvikkepikas or evasive disputants who declined to give any categorical answer to the questions relating to life and universe. This school corresponds to the Ajñānavāda of the Jain texts. Sañjaya Belatthiputta, of whom mention will be made later, belonged to this line of thinking. The Adhicca-samuppanikas or Fortuitous Orignists were divided into two groups. They believed that the world originated accidentally without any cause. They probably belonged to a group which was later characterised by the epithets Lokāyatika, Bārhaspatya, Cārvāka, etc. The doctrine of Ajita Kesakambalin has some bearing on this school, as we shall see later. These five schools, subdivided into eighteen groups, formed the Pubbanta-kappika.
Sixteen kinds of Saññivādins are mentioned the Buddhist texts. According to this school, (1) the soul is material (rūpī), (2) non-material (arupi), (3) both material and non-material, (4) neither material nor non-material, (5) limited, (6) unlimited, (7) both limited and unlimited (8) neither limited nor unlimited, (9) conscious, (10) unconscious
1cf. Majjhima I, p. 8; Papañcasudani, I, p. 71. 211. 34.