Book Title: Jainism Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment
Author(s): Narendra Bhandari
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad
View full book text
________________
Jainism : The Eternal and Universal path for Enlightenment
22
plant and animal kingdom has originated from them (Fig. 1.2). In essence all of them have a common root, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, termed LUCA. If this is true, all of them may have the same root as can be seen in the phylogenetic tree of life (Fig. 1.2).
There is another fundamental point to be noted in context of Jainism: Jainism postulates that jiva and pudgala are separate entities, uncreated (without beginning and end), everlasting, coexisting and interacting, influencing each other yet unrelated.
While Jiva oritm 2 is sentient (conscious), incorporeal, immaterial, formless, weightless, colourless, odourless, eternal, matter is corporeal, non-sentient, non psychical, inert entity. One can not be produced from the other. Modern scientific thought speculates, but has not been able to prove, that life has originated from matter. The probability that molecules will assemble in such a way that they will give rise to living species is extremely small, calculated by some scientists to be 10-140. This is too small to result in any organization required even for the simplest species over the life time of the universe. Yet scientists have hypothesized, after a long debate, that there may be
Common root of Life on Earth
Plant Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Fungal Kingdom
Protista (eucariota, Unicelular
& Multicelular) Eubacteria
Archaebacteria (Unicelular, Procariota)
(Unicelular, Procariota)
Luca (Last Universal Common Ancestor)
Figure 1.2 : The Phylogenetic Tree indicating common root, [Last Universal Common Ancestor, LUCA] for all plant and animal kingdoms on the earth.