Science And Jain Philosophy

Author(s): Raksha J Shah, Abhijit Muni, Pooja Banthia
Publisher: International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy

Page 166

International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy 2016
Doctrine of Soul In the first watch one gets insight into all of his previous lives and experiences. With the experience of the past lives one encounters his own transmigration. The experience of the past lives unfolds the secret that it is me who is transmigrating from one birth to another. It is me who is taking various forms of life. It is me who is suffering. The experience gets expression in the words-"my soul, being subject to birth, transmigrates in these cardinal directions or intermediate directions, that (soul) is 'I' myself" (Acharangal.4). Thus, the first watch opens the secret that I am an eternal and independent soul. I am not body, speech and mind. I am something different and beyond all the material objects. With the realization of this truth starts the intense search of the true self. In the long journey of the true self one has to pass through many other experiences.
Doctrine of Cosmos In the second watch, one witnesses the rebirths of all other beings. One realizes that like me there are other beings in the world. The word 'Loka' i.e. cosmos, stands for the existence of other living beings and non-living things existing in the world. One also watches that all other living beings are also taking birth in various forms of life just as I do. In his further search of various forms of life one perceives four realms of existence or four types of birth occurring in the world. They are: Hellish, Heavenly, Human and Non-Human- tiryanch.
Hellish and heavenly forms of life are beyond the sense-experience and therefore not easy to verify but the last two forms of life are visible and also verifiable. One cannot deny the existence of human and non-human forms of life which are in front of him.
The existence of human form of life is clear and distinct to everybody but the non-human form of life is not very much clear to the world even today in the age of science and technology. Some of the scientific studies show life in plants, stone and water but still they lack in clarity.
Jain religion has been very clear about the existence of all forms of life from its inception. It is because the foundation of spirituality is laid on the knowledge of the living and non-living world. Equality of all souls, equanimity and non-violence towards all forms of life subtle and gross have been the core concerns of spirituality in Jainism.
Doctrine of Karma In the third watch one discerns the indelible law of karma as the principle that determines the quality of rebirths. The exploration of the self and other living beings raises a question as to why this diversity. The exploration of the answer opens up a new domain of reality of life, which is karma. The difference or diversity of the forms of life is caused by the karmic particles. The karma particles are the subtle psycho-physical energies which affect one's spiritual and psychial growth and cause birth and death, pain and pleasure etc. in one's
life.
The energies are identified in eight forms affecting different spiritual qualities and physical growth of the living beings. The eight forms of the energies are: Jnanavaraniya Karma i.e. Knowledge-covering energy Darsanavarniya Karma i.e. Intuition-covering energy
59