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

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Page 286
________________ Soul 271 the momentary reality of sensations etc., they rather rejected the materialist contention. The Jaina's attributed consciousness to the soul as a quality and like the Buddhists, they repudiated the theory of the materialist Çārvāka's. JAINA CRITICISM OF THE ÇĀRVĀKA POSITION In criticising the Çārvāka position, the Jaina philosophers point out that if consciousness were an outcome of the physical body, it would have continued to persist in a dead body. For, the body remains as usual even when the animal dies; rather on account of the subsidence of fever etc., the body of the dead animal may be said to be in a healthier state. The physical body cannot be said to be the cause of consciousness. If you look upon the body as the Attendant Cause (Sahakārī-Kāraṇa or accompanying condition) of consciousness, you are led to admit the reality of a non-physical, non-material substance as the Material Cause (Upādāna-kāraṇa or substantial cause) of consciousness, which is against the Çārvāka theory. Nor, can you say that the physical body is the Material Cause of consciousness. For, in that case every modification in the body would have been followed by a corresponding modification of consciousness. On the other hand, no modifications are found in the body, corresponding to such modifications of consciousness, as Gladness, Sorrow, Unconsciousness, Sleep, Fear, Grief etc. Animals having huge bodies are often found to be possessed of very little intelligence and small animals are sometimes found to be remarkably intelligent. Besides, Self-consciousness, The Consciousness of 'I', which is embedded in every series of consciousness cannot be said to originate from the Body. For, every one feels, 'it is my body'; hence the fact that this 'I' or the Self is separate from the body must be admitted as a matter of direct perception. BUDDHIST REJECTION OF THE DOCTRINE OF SOUL Although there is general agreement between the Jaina's and the Buddhists in this that consciousness is not a modi Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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