Three Pronouncements (Tripadi)

The cosmos is both static and ever-changing. So it is difficult to express reality in language or in one sentence. To express in language to those who are unenlightened, the Jain seers expounded the Principle of Non-Absolutism. This principle expresses the truth in many ways and the sum of all ways leads to reality. Thus the aspirant grabs the path of purification of his/her soul. But first of all, it is important to learn the picture of the cosmos. The cosmos is made of six substances and all the six are eternal as well as ever changing. Both the eternal and ever changing phases are real. We cannot say that one is real and other is illusory.

Lord Mahavir, the last ford-builder of Jainism (599-527 BCE), shortly after attaining the Absolute Knowledge expounded the philosophy of three phrases to his chief disciple Gautama. These three phrases are known as “Tripadi”. He uttered three words, “Upaneyi Va”, “Vighaneyi Va” and “Dhuvei Va”.

1) Upaneyi Va: EMERGENCE: There emerges a new phase of matter. This is called emergence of new mode.

2) Vighaneyi Va: DISAPPEARANCE: The old mode vanishes. This is called Disappearance of old mode.

3) Dhuveyi Va: PERMANENCE: Original qualities of the matter remain constant.

For example, the essential qualities of matter (pudgal) are, touch, taste, smell, color, odor and energy. Now matter is ultimately made of atomic and subatomic particles. Each subatomic particle has above qualities. Each particle is made of one quality of touch, one quality of color, one quality of taste etc. The one particle combines with other particles and the system of the two subatomic particles is called “Skandha” in the Jain Terminology. This system even cannot be grasped through the senses. Thus the system of innumerable particles becomes “Pradesha”. Such large system can be grasped through the senses. A human body, a stone, a tree, a mountain, a galaxy are the examples of such system and is called matter or pudgal.  The particles combine with other particles and depart with them in a course of some time. Now their combination was the emergence of new phase, their partition was disappearance of that phase but their essential qualities still remain the same is called permanence. The qualities are eternal. Even the modern physicists cannot prove the decay of electron. They have not clear answer to the Big Bang theory.

So from above explanation we can see that the substance maintains its essential qualities in all the three times (infinite past, present and infinite future), and still it undergoes changes. Same thing can be thought in rest of five substances (Souls, Motion, Rest, Space and Time). Below are few simple examples to explain the Emergence, Permanence and Disappearance phenomena of a substance.

(1). A bar of gold has its own original qualities. That bar can be converted into a chain. In that case, the shape of the bar is destroyed and a new shape (chain) has been produced. However the qualities of gold remain unchanged. Now if we melt the chain and make a bangle out of it, then we destroy the chain (an old form) and produce a bangle (a new form). Again the inherent qualities of the gold remain unchanged. Therefore, the bar, chain and the bangle are transient forms (Paryaya) while gold is the matter (Dravya) which remains constant...

(2). A living being through the process of growth, undergoes various changes, such as childhood, youth, and old age. These changes are the natural modifications of the living being. Childhood, youth, and old age are transient forms (Paryaya) of a living being. The soul of the living being is permanent substance (Dravya). Similarly, when we die, we will be born in another body. Therefore, the body is also a transient form while our soul is the permanent substance (Dravya).

(3). A soul is a substance (Dravya) that has innumerable qualities such as knowledge (Jnän), bliss (Änanda) and energy (Virya).  The knowledge quality, for example, may increase or decrease, but there is never a time when the soul is without knowledge; otherwise it would become, by definition, a non-soul, a lifeless material.

According to the Jainism, the number of substances existing at present, were existing in the past and will continue to exist in future. There cannot be any increase or decrease in that number. All the transformations take place according to their properties and potentialities; and in course of time, one form may get destroyed and cease to exist and another form may emerge. But Dravya remains constant. 

JAIN ATOMISM

The most elaborate and well-preserved Indian theory of atomism comes from the philosophy of the Jaina school, dating back to at least the 6th century BC. Some of the Jain texts that refer to matter and atoms are Pancastikayasara, Kalpasutra, Tattvarthasutra and Pannavana Suttam. The Jains envisioned the world as consisting wholly of atoms, except for souls. Paramāņus or atoms were considered as the basic building blocks of all matter.

Jain’s concept of atoms was very similar to classical atomism, differing primarily in the specific properties of atoms. Each atom, according to Jain philosophy, has one kind of taste, one smell, one color, and two kinds of touch. Atoms can exist in one of two states: subtle, in which case they can fit in infinitesimally small spaces, and gross, in which case they have extension and occupy a finite space. Certain characteristics of atoms correspond with that sub-atomic particle. For example an atom is characterized by continuous motion either in a straight line or in case of attractions from other atoms, it follows a curved path. This corresponds with the description of orbit of electrons across the Nucleus. Ultimate particles are also described as particles with positive (Snigdha i.e. smooth charge) and negative (Rūksa – rough) charges that provide them the binding force. Although atoms are made of the same basic substance, they can combine based on their eternal properties to produce any of six "aggregates", which seem to correspond with the Greek concept of "elements": earth, water, shadow, sense objects, karmic matter, and unfit matter. To the Jains, karma was real, but was a naturalistic, mechanistic phenomenon caused by buildups of subtle karmic matter within the soul. They also had detailed theories of how atoms could combine, react, vibrate, move, and perform other actions, all of which were thoroughly deterministic.

According to Jainism, there are infinite atoms in this cosmos and all are eternal. Their number remains the same though they undergo modifications (i.e. they combine and depart with others). The smallest part of atoms has not been discovered even by the modern physicists. In Jainism as seen and known by the omniscient it is neither created nor can it be destroyed. 

VISION OF NON-DIFFERENCE

Expecting happiness from the modes of external objects is wrong vision. Expecting happiness from the self-soul is right vision. The modification of happiness comes from the self soul. According to Jainism the Cosmos is made of six eternal substances which are Jeev (Souls), Pudgal (Fine material atoms/Energy), Dharmastikay (Medium of Motion), Adharmastikay (Medium of Rest), Aakash (Space) and Kaal (Time).  There are infinite souls in this Cosmos and all are independent from each other. None is the doer of the other’s happiness and sorrow. The basic attributes of a soul are Infinite Knowledge, Infinite Perception, Infinite Bliss and Infinite Power. To know and to perceive is termed in Jainism as “Upayog”. When the Upayog is oriented towards the outside things then it causes the raise of attachment and aversion. When it is fixed in the self then there is no attachment and aversion and the soul stays away from Karma.

Every substance in the cosmos has dual nature, special and general. From the special aspect the substance undergoes changes. From the general aspect the substance is steady and unchanged. The changing form of a substance is called modifications. For example, a bar of gold has its own original qualities. That bar can be converted into a chain. In that case, the shape of the bar is destroyed and a new shape (chain) has been produced. However the qualities of gold remain unchanged. Now if we melt the chain and make a bangle out of it, then we destroy the chain (an old form) and produce a bangle (a new form). Again the inherent qualities of the gold remain unchanged. Therefore, the bar, chain and bangle transient forms or modifications while gold is the matter (Dravya) which remains constant. This is just an example in real even the gold is modifications of Pudgal. Pudgal or fine material atoms are the substance in this case which remain unchanged in every process. The star (the sun) is a giant ball of plasma. Plasma is the state of matter which is ultimately made of innumerable sub atomic charged particles. The sun is the modification. After billions of years the sun will lose its present form and will convert into a new form, a planetary nebula. In this case the basic qualities of Pudgal is steady and unchanged only the form is modified.

Our main problem is that all unenlightened people in this world directly focus and value the modifications of the substance. The one who is oriented in the modifications will value the gold more than the stone. The fact is the gold and the stone are made of same particles. We generally take the substance and its modifications to be different. To think that both are one is called the vision of non-difference or Abhed Drishti. The enlightened have this vision and they see all non living substances as atoms. We become addicted to the modifications not to the substance. That’s why if someone steals gold from us then we become unhappy and angry. But if someone takes stone from our hand then we won’t be angry that much because we have the value of gold far more than stone. The enlightened will see them to be the same. Thus they will develop detachment from all the external things and will remain in the meditation of the self-soul. We have divided things into too many forms and that’s why we have become too far from our real self. In order to remain in deep meditation of soul and to remain detached to the other things we have to practice the vision of non-difference.

-Rahul Zota

SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION OF THE JAINA KARMA THEORY

Jain philosopher-monks postulated the existence of karma as subtle and microscopic particles that cannot be perceived by senses, some two millennia before modern science proved the existence of atoms and subatomic particles. However, these and other elementary particles that have been either discovered or postulated cannot be equated with karmic particles. Some authors have sought to explain the concept of karmic particles in the context of modern science and physics. Hermann Kuhn points out that, although the idea of "karmic particles" is not yet proven, one only needs to recall that science found proof of the existence of molecules and atoms only the 19th and 20th century.  Anyone who would have suggested that these "indivisible" particles were made up of even subtler units like quarks and leptons only a hundred years ago may have been dismissed, though such theories were in existence. With regards to interaction of consciousness and karmic matter, he further states that, it can be easily understood considering that ideas like the mind fundamentally affecting matter are now accepted in scientific circles. While admitting that though science has not discovered karmic matter yet, he is of opinion that it does not state anything against its existence. K. V. Mardia, in his book The Scientific Foundations of Jainism, has interpreted karma in terms of modern physics, suggesting that the particles are made of karmons, dynamic high energy particles which permeate the universe.

Source: Wikipedia