Pudgalastikaya is one of the six constituent dravyas of loka in Jainism and is the only substance that is sense perceptible. The sense attributes ofpudgala are colour, taste, smell, and touch properties which become t...Pudgalastikaya is one of the six constituent dravyas of loka in Jainism and is the only substance that is sense perceptible. The sense attributes ofpudgala are colour, taste, smell, and touch properties which become the basis of its diversity of forms and structures. The smallest constituent of pudgala is paramanu; the other forms are its combinations. The combination ofparmanus forms various states of the matter. The paper describes different types of combinations and modes, rules for combinations and properties of aggregates known as vargana. Some varganas associate with the soul and form various types of bodies of organisms and others exist as forms of matter in loka （universe）. The paramanu defines the smallest units of energy, space, time, and sense quality ofpudgala. Pudgala exists in visible and invisible forms but anything that is visible is definitely pudgala. Pudgala is classified in various ways; one of them is on the basis of touch property and there are pudgalas having two touches, four touches, and eight touches, each class having some specific character that differentiates them in respect of stability and motion. Pudgala is also classified as living, prayoga-parinat, and non-living, visrasa-parinat. The living matter existing as bodies of organisms exhibits some properties that are not found in non-living matter. Modem science has no such distinction which has become a cause of confusion in recognizing the existence of soul. The description of body remains incomplete without considering the presence of soul in the body. In modem terms, aparamanu is a vibrating and moving charge that is bosonic in character. The two-touch and four-touch pudgala do not appear to follow the speed limits prescribed by Special Theory of Relativity. Jain canonical works describe two types of motions sparshad type and asparshad type and these determine the motions of different class ofpudgala and soul. Jain philosophy describes the dynamics and motion ofparmanu in detail. The paper describes the Jain concepts of matter in detail and compares with the modem concepts to highlight the strength of Jain views. Modem science has explored the properties and behavior of matter in great detail but still there are many concepts that Jain philosophy has to offer.展开更多
文摘Pudgalastikaya is one of the six constituent dravyas of loka in Jainism and is the only substance that is sense perceptible. The sense attributes ofpudgala are colour, taste, smell, and touch properties which become the basis of its diversity of forms and structures. The smallest constituent of pudgala is paramanu; the other forms are its combinations. The combination ofparmanus forms various states of the matter. The paper describes different types of combinations and modes, rules for combinations and properties of aggregates known as vargana. Some varganas associate with the soul and form various types of bodies of organisms and others exist as forms of matter in loka （universe）. The paramanu defines the smallest units of energy, space, time, and sense quality ofpudgala. Pudgala exists in visible and invisible forms but anything that is visible is definitely pudgala. Pudgala is classified in various ways; one of them is on the basis of touch property and there are pudgalas having two touches, four touches, and eight touches, each class having some specific character that differentiates them in respect of stability and motion. Pudgala is also classified as living, prayoga-parinat, and non-living, visrasa-parinat. The living matter existing as bodies of organisms exhibits some properties that are not found in non-living matter. Modem science has no such distinction which has become a cause of confusion in recognizing the existence of soul. The description of body remains incomplete without considering the presence of soul in the body. In modem terms, aparamanu is a vibrating and moving charge that is bosonic in character. The two-touch and four-touch pudgala do not appear to follow the speed limits prescribed by Special Theory of Relativity. Jain canonical works describe two types of motions sparshad type and asparshad type and these determine the motions of different class ofpudgala and soul. Jain philosophy describes the dynamics and motion ofparmanu in detail. The paper describes the Jain concepts of matter in detail and compares with the modem concepts to highlight the strength of Jain views. Modem science has explored the properties and behavior of matter in great detail but still there are many concepts that Jain philosophy has to offer.
