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Seminar on Jainism
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cteristic degree or clearness. The higher the monad, the more clearly and distinctly it perceives, expresses or represents the world'. Prof. Lalwani compared the metaphysical theory on light with that of Bhagwan Mahavir and maintained that Mahavir's construction from this aspect is unparallel in human thought and history. Views held by Prof Lalwani were thought-provoking and his exposition was very lucid, logical and spalding. He asserted that the idea of Motion and Rest is an original contribution by the Jains. Some have compared these with rajas and tamas in the Sarkhya view, but the comparison is wrong. The Jainas have considered dharma and adharma to be responsible for the systematic character of the universe. Without these, there would be only chaos in the
cosmos.
Dr. Govinda Gopal Mukhopadhyaya, Professor & Head of the Department of Sanskrit, Burdwan University read his paper on JAIN CONCEPTION OF SELF' In the words of Dr. Mukhopadhyaya, 'to the Jains there is a scale of consciousness at the top of which is Paramatman or Sarvajia, the omniscient Being, who is like an ideal which man should try to attain or aim at. But the Paramatman is not God, who creates, preserves and destroys the world. The Jain view denies God and extols man, than whom there is no higher power to be worshipped or adored. No other system of philosophy does uphold the dignity of man in such a manner as we find in the Jain system. This view seems to be a vindication of that famous utterance in the Bhagwad Gitä.
Uddhared atmanātmānam nātmānam avasādayet atmaiva hyātmano bandhur atmaiva ripuratmanalı #
But the Jains will assert that even after liberation there is infinite progression for the individual soul This Jain view of the self being as big as the body it inhabits naturally leads one to conclude that the Jainas take the self in the sense of the soul. As Dr. Jacobi suggests, the Jains arrived at their concept of soul, not through the search after the Self, the Self existing unchangeable principle in the everchanging world
