Nature Of Soul In Jainism Parapsychological View Point

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "The Nature of Soul in Jainism: A Parapsychological View-Point" by N. M. Kansara:

This article explores the Jain philosophical understanding of the soul (jiva) and attempts to correlate it with contemporary parapsychological research, suggesting that ancient Jain teachings may find validation in modern scientific inquiry.

I. Philosophical Concept of the Soul in Jainism:

• Classifications: Jainism classifies the soul into two types: "transmigratory" (in the cycle of birth and death) and "liberated" (freed from this cycle).
• Essential Nature: The soul is fundamentally conscious, capable of modifications, an agent, and an enjoyer. It is inherently endowed with consciousness, is independent, and thus beyond origin and destruction.
• Innumerable Souls: Souls are innumerable, distinct in different bodies, and possess numerous innate capabilities, including the powers to know, act, endeavor, desire, and have faith.
• Karmic Impression: The soul acquires impressions from its thoughts and activities, forming an atomic astral body that remains attached during transmigration.
• Apparent Form: Although the soul is formless, it appears to have a form due to its contact with accumulated karmas and their impressions.
• Size and Potentiality: The soul's size can expand or contract to match the body it inhabits, without affecting its essential substance. The natural potentiality of all souls is the same, but its development depends on individual effort and circumstances.
• Ubiquitous Presence: Souls with physical or astral bodies exist everywhere in the world.
• Historical Context: The Jain concept of the soul was well-established by the 7th-6th century BCE, coinciding with the time of the 23rd Tirthankara, Parsvanatha. This core belief has remained unchanged in Jain tradition.

II. Comparative Philosophy and Divergences:

• Samkhya-Yoga: This school aimed to establish the soul as eternal and unchangeable, minimizing the existence of qualities in consciousness or treating them metaphorically.
• Nyaya-Vaisheshika: This system accepted the existence of created and destroyed qualities, arguing they were distinct from the soul-substance, thus preserving the soul's eternal nature. They also believed in innumerable souls but considered them all-encompassing, unlike the Jain view of body-sized souls.
• Jainism's Distinctive Approach: Jainism posits natural and essential powers (consciousness, joy, endeavor) as inherent to the soul, acknowledging their natural modifications. This persists even in the unembodied state. This is attributed to logical necessity and perfect rationality.

III. Reasons for Divergent Philosophies:

• Founders' Experiences: The founders of these systems (Kapila for Samkhya, Hiranyagarbha for Yoga, Gautama for Nyaya, Kanada for Vaisheshika, and Parsvanatha for Jainism) were realized beings who described the soul based on their personal, direct experiences, often using practical examples and metaphors rather than strict logical presentations.
• Scholastic Interpretations: Later scholars, while inheriting these concepts, attempted to intellectualize and rationalize them through logic. This led to complexities and divergences, potentially obscuring the intrinsic nature of the soul, as warned against by Upanishadic seers who emphasized internal, intuitive realization through penance and yoga.

IV. Parapsychological Researches and their Relevance:

• Parapsychology as a Field: Parapsychology is a recognized international scientific discipline that studies phenomena beyond the scope of conventional science.
• Key Research Areas: Areas like telepathy, psychokinesis, bio-feedback, mind travel, and psychic surgery are actively researched.
• Relevant Studies:
  • Sir Alister Hardy: Collected thousands of cases of religious experiences.
  • Hereward Carrington and Sylvan Muldoon: Studied and published evidence for the existence of the astral body, a subtle vehicle of the life-force.
  • Kyriacos C. Markides: Conducted phenomenological studies of spiritual healers, focusing on subjective experience.
  • William Tiller & George Meek: Researched the "seven levels of being" (Physical, Etheric, Astral, Mind, Spirit) and confirmed interpenetrating energy fields and "bodies" beyond the physical. They also documented communication with discarnate entities (souls of the deceased).

V. Scientific Researches on Life in the Astral Dimension:

• Astral Body: The astral body is described as being constituted of life-force (prana) and is the vehicle for spiritual invigoration and nourishment during sleep, as well as a link to a cosmic energy reservoir.
• Energetic Counterparts: Everything on the physical plane has an astral counterpart that can be perceived.
• Energy Fields: The physical body is interpenetrated by multiple energy fields (bioplasmic, astral, mental, etc.) that organize cells and are invisible to current scientific instruments.
• Planes of Existence: The concept of seven levels or planes of existence is presented, ranging from the physical and astral to mental, causal, and celestial planes. These planes involve states of rest, rehabilitation, spiritual growth, and eventual rebirth or assimilation into higher consciousness.
• "The Real You": The "real you" persists in the astral body even after the death of the physical and etheric bodies.
• Obsession and Influence: Discarnate spirits in astral bodies can obsess living individuals, influencing their thoughts, emotions, and actions.
• Energy Manifestations and Colors: Spirit energy manifests as light, with different colors (red, purple, blue, white, green) associated with specific energetic functions like disintegration of negative thoughts, healing, protection, and spiritual nourishment.
• Auric Diagnosis: "Sensitives" can perceive interweaving energy fields around the body (emotional and mental fields), revealing mind-body connections and the state of the organism.

VI. Epilogue and Reassessment:

• New Perspective: Parapsychological research offers a new perspective to re-examine and reassess the concepts of ancient seers, including Jain Tirthankaras, potentially resolving apparent contradictions.
• Levels of Teaching: Discrepancies in teachings might stem from the specific developmental level of the disciple for whom the instruction was intended, rather than inherent flaws in the doctrine itself.
• Universal Principles: The underlying principles of various spiritual traditions (Brahmanism, Buddhism, Jainism) may converge when viewed through the lens of parapsychological findings.
• Jain Tirthankaras' Vision: The Tirthankaras, possessing clairvoyant faculties (kevala jnana), could visualize the auras of beings, correlating them with the pure white aura of liberated souls. Their teachings focused on the astral level to depict the soul's journey and provide a practical path to liberation.
• Astral and Physical Bodies: The Jain concept of the soul's size corresponding to its body refers to both its physical and astral forms. The accumulation of karmic "hues" (kasayas) on the astral body is visible, and progress is measured by the purity and whiteness of this aura.
• Practicality of Jain Teachings: The Jain emphasis on a strict code of conduct and elimination of passions (kasayas) is rooted in the practical need to purify the astral body and achieve liberation, which they visualized through their direct perception.
• Modern Resonance: Contemporary research, such as that by Yuvacharya Mahaprajna, has begun to interpret these parapsychological findings using Jain terminology, highlighting the continued relevance of these ancient insights.

In essence, the article proposes that parapsychological research offers a framework for understanding and potentially validating the complex metaphysical concepts of the Jain soul, suggesting that what was once described through direct spiritual perception can now be explored through scientific investigation.