Book Title: Reals on the Jaina Metaphysics
Author(s): Harisatya Bhattacharya
Publisher: Shatnidas Khetsy Charitable Trust Mumbai

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Page 106
________________ Time 91 that our mind evolves or infers Time because Time, as a Real external to it, necessitates it. The same objection may be pressed against the theory of Teichmuller. According to Teichmuller, Time is a bare abstract concept. Just as the concept of 'Mammal' has in it nothing of the specific nature of a sheep, a cow or a lion, the concept of Time also gives us no idea of actual magnitude. Time is simply a 'perspective order', given to the objects of our experience by our Ego. All determination of duration is after all relative and we cannot say that our separation of the present from the past or the future by the alleged time-intervals corresponds to the actual state of things in themselves. Teichmuller actually hints that as the temporal order does not pertain to reality, the whole history of the world's events should be viewed as being together all at once. The obvious objection to Teichmuller's theory is that his denial of Time as a reality has led him to deny the reality of change also. But change is a phenomena which is given by our direct observation and as such, its reality is undeniable. Even if we leave out of account the external things it is impossible for us not to admit that our subjective ideas are felt to succeed one another. Here at least there is the idea of change involved in our apprehensions of succession of ideas. If then there is real change in the subjective ideas, there is no reason why we should not admit it in the external things also. Since change is a phenomenon which cannot be denied, the admission of Time as a Real explaining change seems to be inevitable. DENIAL OF THE REALITY OF CHANGE AND CONSEQUENTLY THAT OF TIME BY SOME PHILOSOPHERS: TAINA OBJECTION We have already shown how we have apprehensions of Pariņāma etc. and how our idea of Time is based on these apprehensions. The Jaina's contend that Pariņāma's or modifications in things are not imaginary subjective ideas but are objectively real. Therefore, Kāla also, which accounts for Pariņāma in things is a reality. In India, a class of thinkers denied like Teichmuller the reality of change or Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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