Perspectives in Jaina Philosophy and Culture

Author(s): Satish Jain, Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Ahimsa International

Page 47

penances, Sadhana (meditation), Svadhyaya (study of scriptures) are among some of the many steps suggested towards the attainment of this goal so as to liberate the Atma from bondage and make it free
In the strict sense in Jaina religious philosophy the individual Atma besides being immortal and non-perishable, is all powerful and by one's own actions (Purusaratha), one can attain and reach the highest goal The individual Atma (Consciousness) has the capacity to become Paramatma by getting rid of all the Karmic matter It does not believe in the theory of supreme God or cosmic consciousness According to Jaina philosophy the universe is full of infinite souls and each one is separate from the other and by its own Karma it goes on passing through various cycles of birth and death, till finally it succeeds in getting rid of all the accumulated Karmic matter and thus liberates itself and attains the supreme goal of Moksha
This in brief is the concept of Atma or soul according to Jaina philosophy Therefore, in the light of modern scientific knowledge, is it possible to describe it in a scientific language which is verifiable and repeatable ? As soon as life starts, it generates its own electrical energy, which can be detected on suitable instruments like oscilographs, electrocardiographs, electroencephalographs etc Now there is a law in physics that every current of electricity when in motion must have its own magnetic field and hence it is presumed that every living organism also has its own magnetic field
knowled according
verifiable
According to this concept, this magnetic field is the Soul or Atma of the individual and it gets attracted and attached to the electrical energy as soon as a suitable affinity between the two is established in accordance with Karma
Thus the electrical energy with its magnetic field goes on operating intimately in the individual through the media of electromagnetic waves It is well-known that speech is easily transmitted through electromagnetic waves over long distances and similarly it is assumed that even thought processes have similar electromagnetic waves and even telepathic signals may have electromagnetic waves Great Yogis have been known to influence persons by virtue of their powerful personalities which are nothing else than their powerful Souls which according to this concept are their magnetic fields and thus it is possible to generate powerful electromagnetic waves capable of being transmitted by them This works in the same way as powerful magnets which are able to generate their own electromagnetic currents
During life all actions and thought process, specially powerful acts and serious incidents have an impact on the soul of the individual and these in the form of Karmic matter in waves are attached to the magnetic field which is the Soul When an individual dics the electrical energy vanishes and the magnetic field alongwith the Karmic matter escapes and this goes on roaming about in the universe till such time that it again finds its suitable electrical energy or nidus, when it again