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CHAPTER III.--MAN AS HE ACTUALLY IS
"Man" means any human being; and although the subject of consideration here is man, still the following theory applies not only to us, but equally to plants, animals, birds, insects, fish, and any form of embodied life, including devils, and angels.
Man is not a being of only one ingredient. He is a compound of matter with soul. By reason of this compound man is what he is actually. And from the point of view of what he is potentially, his present life is an unnatural one.
The compound of matter with soul (Bandha) is not merely a mixture resolvable by a simple mechanical taking apart; but is a very subtle combination in which the two ingredients can be separated only with difficulty if it is desired to separate them scientifically. But it is only each individual that can scientifically separate his own soul and the matter combined with it. The separation cannot be effected by another person. The characteristic nature of soul is consciousness (chetana) or knowledge; and matter is unconscious, and it has the activities of attraction and repulsion. The being resulting from the combination is different in his characteristics from either of these two ingredients. In him, the forces of attraction and repulsion natural to insentient matter become respectively attachment and aversion. Aversion takes the form of anger or pride; attachment becomes deceitfulness or greed. The more the soul predominates in the compound, Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
