Jaina World of Non Living

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

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The Jaina world of Non-living
material consisting and coinciding with other pervasive non-material realities alongwith non-pervasive mattergy. It has two divisions : the occupied space which is finite in dimension but infinite in time. All the realities exist in this zone. It is known as Lokā-akāša (occupied universe). The unoccupied space is beyond this. It is infinite in extension and devoid of medium of rest and motion. It is pure space. Thus, the occupied or finite space is a floating island in the infinite ocean of unoccupied space which may be called mathematical pure space. The existence of unoccupied space is logically proved due to the existence of its affirmative subject (i.e. occupied universe). These non-material entities are interpenetrating each other and could be taken as one from the spatial point of view. They form an inseparable unit having same size in the occupied universe but differing in their functions and nature. 19. The space has many types, accommodative space, empty space, absolute space, relative space, perceptual space, conceptual space, subjectively real space, objectively real space and space-time continuum. The Jaina system postulates objectively real absolute space. 20. The eastern creationists agree to the reality of space but they pressume it to be the cause of creation leading to a concept of its subtle materiality. That is why some have translated it as ether. This view is not acceptable to Jainas. They have a non-material space reality supported by some modern scientists to a large extent. 21. However, the concept of space of the Jainas is again going very much similar to Newtonic age with respect to its absolute, independent and objective reality with continuos nature and accommodating function. But, Einstein's relativity concept postulated inter-connected four dimensional space-time continuum rather than independent three dimensional space and mono-dimensional time as one finds every phenomena occuring in space with respect to time. This leads to the fact that there is neither an independent objective reality of space nor time. They have relative existence of space-time only which is not in tune with the Jaina concept. There is the objective reality of space-time continuum which has been successful in explaining most of the phenomena more successfully. The practical distinction or divisions in terms of space and
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