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The Path of Arbat: a Religious Democracy
element in two things which has the conditioning influence over to each other, that conditioning influence supplies the element of permanence. Such an element of permanence is called 'Jiva' by the Jainas and ‘Brahma' by the Vedantins.
Jaina philosophers, have solved the problem by their theory of Nayavāda. They say that purely from theoretical standpoint the 'Jiva' is permanent. It was never born and shall never die. This is called 'Niscaya naya' (Real view-point ). However, from the practical point of view when Jiva' in association with 'Karmas' takes 'birth' and then 'appears' to die with the body of its 'birth', it appears to be transitory. So when we say that soul is transitory, what we assert is a practical or empirical standpoint which is known as 'Vyavahara naya'.
Buddhist theory of transitoriness of soul has led it to the doctrine of 'Nirvana' which literally means 'extinction'. The root 'Va' means to blow; prefix 'Nir' means 'out' or 'ofi*. So, literally 'Nirvāpa' means 'blowing out'. Logically, therefore, Nirvana means end of worldly existence.
Jainas do not believe that Jiva ceases to exist on attainment of Siddhahood. Since karmas are destroyed, Siddhahood, according to Jainas, is the bodyless existence of soul. This is the state of formless Brahma (Nirakara-Brahma ) of the Vedantist.
It, therefore, appears that in their search of MadhyamaMarga ( Middle course ) the Buddhists have carried their doctrine of transitoriness (Kșanikavāda ) to the extreme by applying it even to the existence of soul. This gives an impression of Anātmavāda (denial of the existea ce of soul ).
Jaina approach on this aspect appears to he more logical and scientific. Dr. S. Radhakrishnani interestingly observes, in this connection, as under :
"It is impossible to think that Buddha recognised nothing permanent in this rush of the world, no resting place in the
1. See Indian Philosophy, Vol. I, pp. 379-380.
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