New Dimensions in Jaina Logic

Author(s): Mahaprajna Acharya, Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Today and Tommorrow Printers and Publishers

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New Dimensions in Jaina Logic
(sarvam asti) and non-being of the proposition 'nothing exists' (sarvam nästi). The implication is that being is true as being and non-being is true as non-being. In other words, being and nonbeing are both real. It is interesting to note here that it is exactly these two propositions which were advanced by two rival Buddhist! schools viz., the sarvāstivādins and the Madhyamika śünyavādins.
The implication of the above dialogue is the rejection of absolute being and absolute non-being, and acceptance of the synthesis of the two as concrete aspects of an entity. Being and nonbeing are also explained as possessed of their definite place and value in the above dialogue.
6. The Concomitance of the Permanent and
the Impermanent
'Is it true, O Lord!', asked Gautama, 'that the unstable changes while the stable does not change, the unstable breaks whereas the stable does not break?'
“Yes, Gautama! This is exactly so.'13
A substance is the co-existence of the unwavering and the wavering, the stable and the unstable. It is immutable and mutable both. The soul is immutable and as such it never changes into nonsoul. It is also mutable and as such it passes through various forms of existence. This is explained in the following dialogue between Manditaputra and the Lord.
Manditaputra: 'Is it true, O Lord! that the soul is constantly subject to wavering and as a result it passes through various states?'
Lord: 'Yes, Manditaputra! This is true.”
· The same has been said to be true of a material atom which has been regarded as an ever-changing entity in Jainism."
The permanence of the substance is due to its unwavering character (the attribute of immutability), while its impermanence is due to its wavering character (origination and cessation). This is manifest from the following dialogue:
Gautama: 'Is the soul permanent or impermanent, O Lord?' Lord: "The soul is permanent in some respect and impermanent in