Jaina World of Non Living

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

Page 89

The Jaina world of Non-living
dis-similarities. However, the living reality satisfies the criteria of being a reality as discussed in commentary of 5.2.
7.
The postulate of the living being as an eternal reality repudiates the Buddhist concept of the living as momentarily existing but continuously flowing of mind or mental faculties (like the lamp flame). It also discards the Carvāka view of origin of the living from specific combination of non-living entities. The Jainas postulate an independent living reality with specific differentia. A living entity could not originate from the non-living one.
8.
Vidyananda points out that the living reality is different form the non-living one as (a) it has a specific differentia of consciousness (b) there is difference between the body and consciousness, (c) it is realisable by specific means of knowledge like superworldly perception, and (d) the dead does not have the quality of consciousness.
9. The scientists have differing opinion regarding the existence of soul. In fact, its non-material nature puts it beyond their province. They can study only sense or instrument perceptible objects. However, they experiment upon the really existing worldly being of all types. Some scientists opine that the livingness is generated out of a specific and critical combination of material elements. The Jainas repudiate it on the basis of point (8) above. Hence, scientists would normally take it to be a sense-imperceptible fine entity in the form of energy. Their experiments have shown that any living entity at birth has a certain electrical energy which vanishes at death. But where does it go at death? What new form does it take? They presume that the energy leaves the body at death and appears in the surrounding atmosphere. G. R. Jaina has indicated that death signifies the departure of soul with its two finer bodies-karmic and caloric from the material body.
10. There have been large number of studies on the smaller and larger living entities both- internal and external. It has been found that different proteins and DNA, genetic structures, internal glandular secretions and their modifications, glutathione and the like can explain many of the karmically explained phenomena in modern terms. The synthesis of different types of living cells and transplantations of body
84