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1. KARMA AND NEUROSCIENCE
Introductory :
Anyone who ventures to fathom and interpret the profound wisdom of the ancient Jain Philosophy, particularly in modern scientific terminology and methodology, must first humbly apologize, for his temerity to (i) those who really know because he may irritate them and (ii) those who do not know because he may mislead them. What then is the excuse for such a venture? It is our firm belief that what follows in this book will be found useful to (i) those inquisitive scientists who are impressed by the wisdom of the ancient seers and sages in the East and are anxious to augment the vistas of their knowledge and (ii) those inquisitive philosophers who believe that the facts proved by science may be able to pave the way for discovering more truths and knowledge.
A conservative/die-hard philosopher may at this point, question the locus standi of science to pronounce opinions on such subjects and thereby trespass into the field reserved, for philosophers and theologians. It may be held that those who study 'mere matter' should not dabble in the study of fundamentals but leave it to those who are concerned primarily with man and humanities. We humbly beg to differ from this view as it involves a false dichotomy of knowledge.
Knowledge is obtained in many ways and knowledge about human mind is in many ways different from knowledge about any other subject. But to reject scientific facts impoverishes the effort to research into the truth. We believe that scientific facts, properly interpreted, can help towards better understanding of some of the great questions such as the relation of 'body and soul' or the 'meaning of our existence'.
Modern advances in Biological Sciences such as endocrinology, physiology, neuropsychology and genetics explain how living organisms go about in pursuit of their particular aims. Doctrine of karman show why they do so. We believe that all that is necessary is that ancient knowledge and the interpretation of the ancient wisdom be expanded, translated and re-stated in terms that encompass discoveries of modern science.
