Philosophy of Soul and Matter

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

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of the process of evolution. Darwin's theory was based on a physical level. Ours is founded on a spiritual level. Thus we see that before reaching humanhood, the individual soul evolves from one level to another. With each progressive level it adds one sense.
Living beings with only a single sense are found in the mineral and vegetable kingdoms. Their only sense is the sense of touch. Certain insects and crawling creatures such as worms have two „senses; they have the sense of taste as well as the sense of touch. The third sense to be added is the sense of smell in such insects as ants. Four-sensed beings such as the bees have added the sense of sight. Fifth is the sense of hearing which characterizes five-sensed animals.
Step by step we go upwards in evolution from mineral to man, first to primitive man, intellectual man, and lastly, aware man. We start with : “I am” and then ask “Who am I?” It is man's first real step in evolution. This is the line of demarcation between human consciousness and animal consciousness.
We are here to see why we are here. We are here to see our place in the universe. We don't say: “I am here to eat, procreate, grow old and dię.” That