Jainism Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment

Author(s): Narendra Bhandari
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

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Jainism : The Eternal and Universal path for Enlightenment
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swasrit (self supporting), achal (motion or vibration less), nisang (without company, alone) and jn pak jyotim 2 tr 1 (self illuminating). It does not age, is timeless (ak:1) and so on. The main question is whether Soul is material or non-material, or both or none. Majority of scholars believe the soul in the pure state to be non-material. Einstein has shown that matter, having mass M, can be converted in to energy, E, and vice versa through his famous equation (E=Mc2", where c is the velocity of light, the highest speed any physical object can attain in our universe). Thus science has no difficulty in converting non corporeal in to corporeal and vice versa. Whatever be the nature of soul, one thing is clear that because of its power of Akhandatva (akhand, abhed), it can not be further subdivided in to parts. It is the minutest of the minute and ati-sukshma. Expressible or not, material or non material, or having a form yet unknown, Jain scriptures mention that the soul can interact with subtle material particles (karm nu). When it does so, it can undergo vibrations. Now as far as we know, only physical entities can have vibrational modes.
Several oriental thoughts believe in existence of soul but their views are not identical. It ought to be so because of the property of Anekatva (multifacedness) according to Saptabhangi (the theory of seven modes of existence) a theory propounded by Jains (to be described later in Chapter 3), some things are indescribable and may exist in multiple forms at the same time. Accordingly we can say, (i) it is material, (ii) it is nonmaterial, (iii) it is material but still not expressible (as material), (iv) it is non-material but still not expressible (as non-material) (v) it is both material and non-material, (vi) none, neither material, nor non-material and (vii) it is non-expressible. This concept agrees with the modern physics concepts of quantum mechanics in which elementary particles, the ultimate constituents of matter may occur as particles or waves or both. Saptabhangi has been explained by D.S. Kothari in a quantum mechanical way by taking the example of a particle in a box which is divided by a partition with a hole in two compartments (A and B). Because of the particle-wave duality, the particle (say, a photon or electron) can be in compartment A, or in compartment B, In A and still not only in A, In B and still not only in B, not in A and B but elsewhere outside the box, in A as well as in B and in an indeterminate state (avyakta). The same solutions emerge from the considerations of quantum mechanics as has been shown mathematically by taking wave functions. Following these considerations, we may therefore take the view here that the soul may be both, material and non-material or neither or indescribable.
Many qualities are ascribed to itmi in Jain, Hindu and Buddha scriptures. Buddhism also rests on the existence of soul but The Buddha had forbidden this