Defiition Of Living In Jain Cannons An Evaluation

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Definition of the Living in Jaina Cannons: An Evaluation" by N. L. Jain, based on the provided pages:

The article critically examines the Jain definition of the living (Jiva) by comparing and contrasting it with various other philosophical and scientific perspectives. It aims to provide an evaluation of the Jain perspective, particularly focusing on its biological and functional aspects.

1. Contrasting Views on Life:

• Materialists (Charvakas, Buddhas): Deny the existence of a separate living reality, attributing life to the complex combination of five elements and continuity of knowledge streams. They hold a purely material view.
• Ajivikas: Postulate a separate, material reality with transmigration properties. Basham describes their ideas as "strange" and "bizarre."
• Other Philosophies (Sankhyas, Nyaya-Vaisheshikas, Vedantins): Postulate a separate living entity, variously named Purusha, Atma, or Jiva. The first three systems generally view the pure living as non-material, with qualities like knowledge being adventitious and requiring association with a subtle physical body (linga sharir/sukshma sharira). The common experience of the living is seen as impure, with self-purification as the goal.

2. Jain Perspective on the Living (Jiva):

• Dualistic and Realistic Approach: Jainism posits a separate existence for the living, supported by arguments of doubt, self-realization (the "I"), and the substratum of consciousness, similar to the Vaisheshikas. Its existence is also proven by its manifold functions.
• Dual Nature: The dual nature of the living (pure and worldly) is found scattered in early Jain canons. Kundakunda (around 100 AD) specifically postulated and described these two types, possibly influenced by Vedanta.
  • Worldly Living: Described as impure and having material aspects due to attachment to karmic particles.
  • Pure Living: Described as the reverse of worldly living, non-material, and often considered indescribable, recognized only through self-perception.
• Focus on Worldly Living for Scientific Verification: The author notes that while proving pure living is philosophically difficult, the worldly living is amenable to physical description and scientific verification.
• Early Development of Concepts: The article highlights that many Jain concepts about the living were developed even before the early Christian era.

3. Attributes of the Living (Jiva) in Jain Canons:

• General and Specific Definitions: Jain canons provide characteristics classified as general and specific.
• Bhagvati and Panchastikaya (Kundakunda):
  • Bhagvati: Lists six initial terms and twenty-three literal terms describing observable properties, with some non-observable terms related to consciousness. It mentions size, weight, metabolism, irritability, growth, reproduction, and adaptation.
  • Kundakunda: Lists seventeen attributes, including non-materiality, weightlessness, thought activities, and physical body size. The article suggests that early canons like Bhagvati might have assumed a more material nature of the living compared to Kundakunda's focus on its non-material essence.
• Key Attributes and Terms:
  • Consciousness (Upayoga, Chetna, Vigya, Veda): Jainism considers consciousness a fundamental characteristic. While Umaswati uses one term for knowledge and perception, Kundakunda uses Upayoga and Chetna with subtle distinctions. Devsen separates consciousness from other qualities like knowledge and bliss. The meaning of consciousness is debated, with some arguing it encompasses all four infinities of Jainism.
  • Thought Activities (Bhava): Umaswati describes five types of thought activities, which can be related to the mind or brain. These are viewed as expressions of consciousness, influenced by karmic particles.
  • Sensory Imperceptibility and Non-materiality: Attributes like tastelessness, colorlessness, odorless, soundless, genderless, and indefinable shape are mentioned, elaborating on the sense-imperceptibility of the basic living.
  • Existentiality (Dravya): Jainism defines reality (Dravya) by its permanence through change. This concept, initially termed Tattwa, was later integrated from the Nyaya-Vaisheshika system.
  • General Attributes: Eleven general attributes are listed by Akalanka, and eight by Devsen, including existentiality, partaking in change, qualities, modes, and ways of being.
  • Specific Attributes: These are various expressions of consciousness, with commonalities across different authors.
  • Particulate Nature and Space Points: The basic unit of the living is described as containing innumerable "pradeshas" or space-points, capable of expansion and contraction. These are invisible due to their fineness, contributing to sense-imperceptibility.
  • Weightlessness: Due to extreme fineness, the living has negligible or empirically weightless mass, with an inverse relationship between extension and density.

4. Pranas and Paryaptis:

• Pranas (Life Principles/Vital Airs): The term "Prani" (living being) is derived from "Pranas." These represent vital principles. Jainism expands the concept beyond just respiration to include strength (physical, vocal, mental), senses, and age.
  • Comparison with Other Philosophies: Other schools (Sankhya, Vedanta) have more restricted meanings of "Prana." Vedic thought often associates it with respiration and vital energy.
  • Jain Pranas: More complex, encompassing physical and psychical activities. The lowest living beings have four pranas, increasing to ten.
  • Evolution of the Term: Initially, "Prana" might have referred to respiration, but its meaning was later extended to include various physical, vocal, and mental activities.
• Paryaptis (Completions): These are stages of gradual development that occur within a specific timeframe (around 48 minutes). They are the causes of pranas.
  • Six Paryaptis: Food, Body, Senses, Respiration, Speech, and Mind.
  • Relationship to Pranas: The six Paryaptis correspond to nine Pranas, with the Prana of Age being the resultant of these completions.
  • Origin and Nature: The concept of Paryaptis is not as traceable in older literature as Pranas. Akalanka differentiates Paryapti as supra-sensual and imperceptible, contrasting it with the physical nature of Pranas. However, the author suggests Paryapti is a physical phenomenon related to the development of organs and energy, making it a primary building block for the secondary characteristics of Pranas.

5. Instincts (Sangyas):

• Third Way of Defining the Living: Jainism also defines the living by its instincts or "Sangyas" (physical or psychical).
• Basic Instincts: Food, fear/irritability, sex, and belongings (or sleep).
• Developed Instincts: Education, action, duty, and vocal expressions are present in beings with more developed minds.
• Pannavana: Mentions ten instincts, including psychic functions like anger, pride, deceit, greed, etc.
• Instincts as Expressions of Consciousness: The article posits that instincts are merely extensions of sensitivity or consciousness, not separate properties.

6. Comparison with Current Scientific Concepts:

• Spontaneous Generation vs. Reproduction: Science suggests spontaneous origin of early life from inorganic matter, followed by reproduction. Jainism also acknowledges the dual nature of pure and worldly living.
• Cell Theory: Science characterizes life through structural and functional aspects based on cell theory, with a focus on physical and mechanical concepts.
• Materialism vs. Non-materiality: Scientific concepts emphasize the material nature of life and have no place for non-materiality or indestructibility. Jainism's concept of pure living is non-material, while worldly living aligns more with material descriptions.
• Energy and Matter Interconvertibility: The Jain concept of energy being atomic or material, and the scientific principle of matter-energy interconvertibility, are seen as points of potential convergence. The idea of the living element as fine energy particles aligns with the Jain concept of fine karmic or energetic bodies.
• Paryaptis and Scientific Characteristics: The article notes that many scientific characteristics of the living (nutrition, metabolism, cellular structure, movement, respiration, excretion, reproduction, irritability, adaptation, death) are traceable within the Jain concept of Paryaptis and Pranas.
• Observational vs. Experimental Knowledge: Jain canons represent an era of physical observation and mental conceptualization, while modern science relies on experimentation and advanced instruments. This difference explains the depth of understanding in contemporary science regarding the "how" and "why" of biological processes.
• Verification and Re-examination: While many Jain canonical observations are supported by science, some may require re-examination and re-telling. The gap between natural observation and experimental observation signifies intellectual growth.

Conclusion:

The article concludes that Jain cannons largely reflect an age of physical observation and mental conceptualization, with a material approach to defining the living in many aspects, especially concerning worldly life. While the scientific understanding of life is based on experimentation and internal examination, Jain thinkers were keen observers of the physical and functional aspects of living beings. The author suggests that if Jainological insights were more widely known earlier, it might have spurred biological research. The Jain perspective, particularly its dualistic nature and detailed descriptions of attributes like Pranas and Paryaptis, offers a rich foundation for understanding the living, even if modern scientific methods provide deeper mechanistic explanations.