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(6) Jainism also rejects the notion Jainism also denounces the metaof the Brahman or the Absolute Self, physical attributes of God like omnia which is supposed to be the common potence, unity, eternity, perfiction, ground of the self and not-self. But, etc. According to it, if God is omniaccording to Jainism, the conscious putent, He should be the absolute and self and unconscious matter (Pudgala)
sole creator of everything. But we are to opposed to have any common
find that there are many things created background. Samkara in order to by men and not by God. Further, defend the vedic and upanisadic con- God is held to be one on the cept of the Brahman has some how ground that if there were many gods, derived the unconscious (Acetana) there would have been disharmony, entity also from the same primal conflict and chaos, for each would cause, the Brahman. Ramanuja also work according to his own choice, holds that the Brahman is the common plan and purpose, But the Jainas argue ground of both Cit (conscious) and that this is not true. We find many Acit (unconscious) entities, and these masons constructing the same house. are integral to His being. But accor- Even lower animals like the bees and ding to Kundakunda, a noted Jaina ants, make their hives and ant-hills thinker, it is absurd. If the doctrine together harmoniously. Finally, God of the identity of the cause and effect is said to be eternally perfect. But, (Satkaryavada) is accepted these con- according to Jainism, the notion of tradictory effects the unconscious eternal perfection is absurd, because and the conscious—the Not-self and perfection consists in the removal of the self-cannct be derived from the imperfection. It is meaningless to same cause, the Brahman, which is call any one perfect, who was never taken to be conscious by the Veda and imperfect. Thus eternal perfection is the Upanishad.11 The same argument contradiction in terms. has teen employed in modern times by J. P. Sartre for the refutation of
The Jainas deny God also because the existence of God. According to
they like Sartre, found God to be the
negator of human freedom. The notion him also, there are two fundamental
of God as the dispenser of good and categories -En-soi (unconscious) and
evil, is against human freedom and Pour soi (conscious). As these are
endeavour. If man reaps the consecontradictory, these cannot have a
quence of his own action, God becommon background, God.
comes redundant, and if God ordains
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