Jaina World of Non Living

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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The Jaina world of Non-living
2. Kinds of realities of physical world and their defintions
There are two kinds of realities in the physical world - (a) nonliving and (b) living. There are four extensive non-living bodies of (1-2) medium of motion and rest (3) space and (4) mattergy. In addition, there is the extensive reality of (5) living body and (6) a non-extensive reality of non-living time. Thus, there are six realities in the physical world.
The first five realities are called bodies with respect to homolocation and heterolocation as well. The term body means accumulation of many space-points. Its inclusion in aphorism 5.1 is meant for exclusion of the reality of time as a body or extensive reality. The term 'non-living' does not mean negation of the living but the existence of other forms different from the living one like 'not-horse' having a meaning of animal different from horse - an ass or a donkey.
These realities have been defined on the basis of their functions, etymology and convention. The medium of motion and rest are the neutral causes of motion and rest of the living ones and mattergy. the space accomodates all the entities including itself. The mattergy has the properties of association and dissociation. The ultimate atom is formally said to be mattergy with respect to the attributes and capacity for association etc. The order of placing the four non-living realities in 5.1 has also been justified on practical grounds.
The definition of the reality of the living as conjunction with livingness has been refuted on similar grounds as in the case of realityness as reality alongwith logical flaws of infinite regression and loss of promise in this postulate. In fact, the reality of the living is that which is associated with activities of life (like consciousness, respiration etc.) undergoing natural or efforted changes.
The Jaina concept of six physical realities excludes many other realities postulated by other systems as they get included in these six ones. Further, it has been inferentially established that the qualities of touch, taste, smell and colour are co-existing ones.
The Digambaras postulate time as a definite reality on the basis of its functions in aphorism 5.22 and its general and special attributes as found in other realities.
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