________________
CHAPTER 2
THE PROBLEM OF REALS
PARTICULAR AND GENERAL ASPECTS OF A THING: VIŠEȘA AND SĀMĀNYA The Jaina mode of viewing a thing is not confined to a consideration of one or two of its aspects, but of all its aspects, A real according to the Jainas is not simply what comes (SFTTT) and goes (244), but what has a persisting principle (phou) as well. These two aspects are called the Visesa and the Sāmānya. In its Višeşa or particular aspect, the attributes or the Guņa's of the thing as well as its modes or the Paryāya's arrest our attention. But the features and the modifications of the thing are temporary phenomena after all and do not make up the whole of it. For, besides appearing in its fleeting qualities and modes, the thing under observation is found to have persistence. This persisting principle underlying the thing makes it similar to the other things of its class. This is called the (faca FHIFT) or the principle of class-essence in a thing. Then again particular modifications of a substance, a golden chain, a golden ring, a golden bangle, for instance, may be produced one after the other, and after a time, destroyed, but the substance, gold continues to persist. This persisting essence in a thing is its FEDTETAIFT or substantial identity. A Real is that which has these Afar and fasta and one must take note of all these aspects; otherwise, his speculations would lead to disastrous results.
BUDDHISTS EMPHASISING UPON THE PARTICULAR
A section of the Buddhists used to confine their attention to the purely particular aspect of things. They saw that a phenomenon rose and disappeared; to them accordingly, the Reals of our experience were essentially unreal and these Buddhists, the Sūnyavādins as they were called,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
