Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 3

Author(s): R P Poddar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 82

COMMON SENSE ELEMENTS IN JAIN PHILOSOPHY
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ultirnate goal. Mithyadristi is the chief cause of bondage and Keval-Jnan, the only redeeming feature. It is a common presupposition that wrong perception eludes truth and causes embarassment and its only remedy is knowledge. In Jainism, the process of liberation of an embodied soul ranges from false belief to omniscience after which the Kewali is free from his mortal existence and reaches the highest goal. In Jainism we find equal stress on Samyakdristi and Mithyādristi. Darkness is a positive entity and enjoys an independent existence and is real as light. This attunes to the common-sense approach.
In Jain metaphysics, the virtual acceptance of the duality of matter and soul is very much common-sensical. This Jain view becomes althemore popular when it attaches more significance to living beings i.e. soul in sharp contrast to its relegation of the material world. Jainism affirms that it is the interest in the physical outward conditions of life which imprisops our true knowledge and proves a great impediment in the natural functioning of the soul.
Jain's basic dualism constitutes the whole world. Soul is a conscious constituent element of the world and is characterised by darsan and jñyān. Conciousness which is the essence of the soul has two manifestations viz. apperception and cognition. The apperception is vague consciousness of mere existence only while cognition is a definite comprehension of the details of an object. Apperception is preliminary step to cognition and cognition is the developed stage of the former. This distinction in the process of knowledge is very convincing to the popular mind.
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Again, soul is supposed to be infinite in number. As many living beings, so many souls. The size of the soul is also said to vary according to the dimension of the body it occupies. The soul is equal in extent to the body. It is also the Kartā and Bhokta of actions. Soul has been classified into mundane (embodied) and liberated. The belief in Supra-mundane emancipated souls whom Jajnas honour and rever in place of Gods whom Mr. Wadia likes to call Perfect & Immortal God-men' is also satisfying to the common-sense.
The chief cause of soul's embodiment is Karma. It is peculiarly an aggregate of very fine material particles. Here a naive atomistic theory has been propounded by the Jainas. Now, Karma.pudgala, so called by its material nature, is the accumulated result of actions. It is this karmapudgala which defiles the soul when it comes into contact with it by sticking to it due to soul's attachment and creates bondage. Passions or kasāya is another disturbing clement for the soul which causes the inflow of matter into it and prevent it from performing its natural functions. Due