Scientific Foundations Of Jainism

SR No.: 022772
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: K V Mardia
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd
Publication Year: 1990
Total Pages: 146
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

Page 38

THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONS OF JAINISM
“Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is; without beginning and end,
and is based on the principles, life and the rest". The 'principles' here mean the nine reals—life' means the soul and the 'rest'implies the other eight reals. Therefore, no particular being is the creator of the universe. Belief is in the reals of Jain Science, consequently it is sometimes called a transatheistic religion rather than an atheistic religion. One of the reasons put forward against the existence of a personal god, as a creator is as follows. If the world was created by someone, then this would imply that the creator had a desire to create beings of a low level of life in their spiritual evolution i.e. far from being a perfect-soul. Further, by definition, a higher being would only create a perfect world, not an unequal/ unbalanced world. Thus, a higher being could not be the creator.
2.4. IMPORTANT ANALOGIES
We have defined the various terms above by using only the concepts of physics, but otherwise not introducing any analogies, which have tended to make the literature seem obscure. However, karmons, soul etc. can only be known through their properties as such. Since these can be comprehended only through their effects, we will therefore give various analogies which have been used to give ideas of their different properties. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that, for instance, light can exhibit both the properties of particles and waves depending on the way in which it is considered, but light is light. The properties of a substance cannot uniquely determine the substance. itself. This rationale very much applies to karmons and the soul.
2.4.1 Magnetism
We may regard the polluted soul as a magnet. It attracts ironfillings which can be considered as karmons. The magnetic force lines are equivalent to karmic force lines, the joining of the iron fillings to a magnet can be looked at as karmic fusion, that is, they get strongly bonded to the soul. Creating a force field shield which stops new fillings from being attracted is a form of insulation. The shedding of old particles in the force field, of course, implies demagnetisation so there is no attraction and when all the particles are dropped, the soul is free from the magnetic element of this karmic matter and what is left is the liberated soul. This is shown in Figure 2.7. As mentioned before, it should be remembered that this is only an analogy since