Some Jain Concepts and Conduct

Author(s): Sushma Singhvi
Publisher: B J Institute

Page 19

[Some Jain Concepts and Conduct
for the ambiguous words in it, with the consequence that the converse statement also has validity and is also wisdom.” Bohra illustrated this with his statement ‘There is a God' a statement of great wisdom and truth and the converse. “There is no God' also a statement of great wisdom and truth. (For him who believes that there is no God, his God is ‘no God'. The aspects of God are infinite, inexhaustible, inexpressible). This reminds ofan oft quoted dialogue between Lord Mahāvīra and his favourite disciple Gautama.
“Are the souls, O Lord, eternal or non eternal ?"
“The souls, O Gautama, are eternal in some respect and non eternal in some respect.”
“With what end in view, O Lord is it said that the souls are eternal in some respect and non eternal in some respect?” They are eternal, O Gautama, from the view point of substance (dravya), and non-eternal from the view point of modes (paryāya) and with this end in view it is said, O Gautama, that the souls are eternal in some respect and non-eternal in some respect.”
“Is the body, O Lord, identical with the soul or is the body different from it?"
"The body, O Gautama, is identical with the soul as well as it is different from it.”:27
Talking about the atom and complimentarity, the question arises that what is the redically new situation we meet within dealing with atomic phenomena (quantum physics) as distinct from everyday experience (classical physics). When we speak of a 'table' or 'chair', any meaningful statement and its negation cannot both be correct at the same time. If the statement 'the chair is in this room' is correct, then the statement 'the chair is not in this room' is false. Both cannot be true at the same time. But this fundamental principle of logic and common sense is, in general violated at atomic phenomena. Atoms in general behave in a