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Jaina Logic
395
some hold that there is but one soul while others maintain the plurality of souls. Similarly, there is a variety of views about God. All these views conflict with one another and give rise to controversies. In spite of all this, one thing is self-evident and firmly established in the eyes of all men. It is that all living organisms or beings experience I-consciousness. No living being is without the experience of I-consciousness. On the basis of this unanimously accepted phenomenon of the experience of I-consciousness, the teaching of 'Live and let others live' has become universally acceptable. Even the hardcore atheist or materialist individual or institution accepts this teaching and considers it to be a duty of man to put it into practice. This teaching has spread far and wide among all human beings to such an extent that all men have come to understand that to achieve one's own individual interest at the cost of others' is immorality, defect and sin and that as I-consciousness is uniformly and universally present in all living beings they should live and behave with one another amicably and friendly. Welfare and happiness of all consist in such living and behaviour. In short, the whole edifice of morality and good conduct is rightly erected on the firm foundation of the universally accepted entity 'I'. Even a man who is greatly puzzled by the philosophical controversies and hence has become averse to the terrible storm of conflicting philo sophical views can achieve welfare and peace through the practice of morality and good conduct solidly established on the foundation of the universally accepted entity 'T'. In fact, on account of this practice one gradually attains more and more purity of mind and at last mind becomes so pure and brilliant that the truths which have remained covered and incomprehensible till then become clearly manifest to one's inner vision.
There are some persons who do not believe in soul yet practise good conduct. Their practice of good conduct should be regarded as spiritual practice (i.e., the practice resulting in the realisation of soul). Their practice of good conduct leads to the purification of their souls, without their knowledge (of the soul as an independent substance). Such persons are, therefore, the believers in soul from the standpoint of their conduct, though they are called 'non-believers in soul' from the standpoint of their opinion. On the other hand, there are some persons who believe in soul, yet their conduct is not good, not purified through righteousness. So they are in fact non-believers in soul though they uphold the view that there exists soul. They are believers in soul in name only, but virtually they are non-believers in soul, they are really harmful to themselves as also to
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