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Samayasara
Chapter - 10
effects will reveal the nature of the causal agent responsible for their manifestation.
Again, the non-absolutism lays down that a relation' cannot hold between absolutely identical or absolutely different terms but is possible if the terms are both identical and different from each other. Conversely, if a relation does exist-as between substratum and substrate-between two apparently different terms when perceived together, the two terms cannot be absolutely different from each other.
Just as, the substance gold is neither absolutely different nor absolutely identical to a bangle/bracelet made from it and so gold is not different from its determinant state-the bracelet, so also the psychical states are not different from the psychical substance soul and physical states are not different from the physical substance matter. Hence, no substance can be ultimately responsible as a causal agent for the manifestation of objects or states of entirely different nature. It, therefore, follows that no physical (inanimate) effect can be produced by the soul.
It follows from the above that transcendentally, the soul (self) cannot be principle causal agent producing the states of karma. It is only from the empirical aspect that the soul is held as the producer of karma (kartā), whereas, in reality, it is non-producer (akartā). And again, the soul itself is not created by or from anything nor does it produce anything other than its own pure psychical states. It is therefore, neither a cause nor an effect.
However a relation does exit (and is perceived) between the soul and the karma and their togetherness cannot be explained by any other hypothesis other than that of a relation, and so we have to discover the nature of this relation.
Transcendentally, the soul can produce only its own psychical states, i.e., the psychical states are the sole objects of the subjectsoul. Similarly, karmic matter is also eternal, uncreated substance and the physical states are the sole object of the subject-matter. 1. The reality of relation is denied by the ancient philosophies of the Fluxist and the Vedantist as well as by the modern philosophy of Bradley. It is remarkable how the arguments put forth by Bradley were precisely anticipated by the Buddhists and the Jains centuries ago.
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