Philosophy of Soul and Matter

Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Clare Rosenfield
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Center

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that sentient in us departs from this body, the body becomes an empty shell, dry inanimate matter.
Consciousness is the main criterion of all sentient energy which is known as atma. Where we don't see consciousness, that is called insentient matter, or pudgala, that which fills up (pud) and empties (gala). It is existing, not living. For example, the outer forms of earth, water, fire, and air are like shells; they are insentient substances. Their atoms do not manifest awareness, but they have certain properties such as color, form, taste, odor, and tangibility.
The vibrations of insentient are ineasurable, belonging to a mathematically precise material world. They range from coarse to fine, of which the coarse can be observed, detected, or felt by the senses, while the fine are hard to detect. For example, billions of atoms and molecules are moving unseen in the air. Though they do not obscure our vision, they fill a whole atmosphere. Some of them, such as amoeba, bacteria, and viruses, actually have consciousness, while others, whose atoms are absolutely dry, do not.
At times, insentient vibrations have so much power that they may cover, influence, or change the level of a: person's mental state. Alcohol, marijuana,