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Concept of Consciousness In Jainism
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quality matter. These should be taken up for an experiment by the scientists. Paramaņu or atom in Jainism has been propounded with a quality of two touches of smooth (positive charge) or rough (negative charge) and hotness or coldness. Matter can be the part of experiment by instrument, but the real consciousness of soul is difficult to come under the purview of experiments. Its approval has three sources according to Jaina philosophers
1. Self-perception or self-realization 2. Inference- There are many logical arguments by which
an entity of soul is approved. In Rājapraśniyasūtra Keśīśramana has given so many arguments to king Pradeshi for establishment of a soul which is different from a body. Sense organs, mind are the instruments; someone should be the user of these instruments and
that user is a soul. 3. Canonical literature- The enlightened souls have told
about the independent existence of a soul, by which consciousness is felt in a body.
It is interesting to know that violence of prāņas, falsehood, theft, sexual copulation, possessiveness, anger, pride, deceit, greed, attachment, aversion etc. 18 sins appear in a soul", but these are having a characteristic of subtle pudgal having five colours, two odours, five tastes and four touches (cold, hot, smooth and hard). Scientists have done experiments on subtle matter, but still they have to do experiments on the intensity of anger, pride, deceit, greed, attachment, aversion etc.
12 Vyākhyāprajňapti Sūtra, Śataka 20, Uddeśaka 3, Sūtra 1
