Religion and Philosophy of the Jainas

Author(s): Virchand R Gandhi
Publisher: Jain International Ahmedabad

Page 81

48 RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE JAINAS
The second principle is non-soul. It is not simply what we understand by matter, but it is more than that. Matter is a term contrary to soul. But non-soul is its contradictory. Whatever is not soul is non-soul.
The rest of the nine principles are but the different states produced by the combination and separation of soul and nonsoul. The third principle is merit; that on account of which a being is happy. The fourth principle is demerit; that on account of which a being suffers from misery. The fifth is the state which brings in merit and demerit. The sixth is samvara that which stops the inflow of foreign energies. The seventh is destruction of actions. The eighth is bondage of soul with actions. The ninth is total and permanent freedom of soul from all actions. Six substances
Substance is divided into the sentient or conscious, matter, dharmästikāya (fulcrum of motion), adharmāstikāya (fulcrum of stability or rest), space and time. We must bear in mind that two kinds of ether (one, the fulcrum of motion, the other, the fulcrum of rest) and space are not matter in the Jaina view. Matter has various qualities and relationships which the former do not possess. Time is also called a substance in a figurative sense, a generalization of the moving activities of things and beings. Six Kinds of Living beings
Living beings are divided into six classes : earth-body beings, water-body beings, fire-body beings, wind-body beings and vegetables, all of them having one organ of sense, that of touch, and animals. These animals are again divided into four classes : beings having two organs of sense, those of touch and of taste, such as tape-worms, leeches, etc.; beings having three organs of sense, those of taste, touch and smell, such as ants, lice etc.; beings having four organs of sense, those of touch, taste, smell and sight, such as bees, scorpions, etc.; beings having five organs of sense, those of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. These are hellish beings, animals, birds, men and