Jain Science and Spirituality
by Medhavi Jain | 2020 | 61,419 words
This essay studies the elements of Jainism and investigates how Jain science and philosophy can give the world answers to through science and spirituality. Instead of interpreting it as a confined, strict philosophy, it is shown that Jainism represents a path towards self-awakening through self-improvement....
1.4. Acquaintance with the Soul
‘The Jaina way of self-acknowledgment is in certainty a yogic way, on which the consciousness as a rule is upgraded. The shedding of karma implies that the innate attributes of the soul express themselves to an ever more prominent degree.’[1]
Sometimes one wonders about just to prove the existence of the soul logically, one spends the whole life. Whereas if one believes in its being, one can start the journey from there to reach some substantial destination.
But that’s true too that it’s better to move on slowly rather than having irrational faith in no matter what.
‘A little minority of scientists, including Nobel Prize winning physicist Eugene Wigner, took the position that measurement suggests a type of awareness. Just a conscious individual or element, they contended, can perform a measurement. Hence, as per this minority, since (as per quantum mechanics) the existence of all matter relies upon measurement, the presence of the universe relies upon consciousness.’[2]
Measurement is inculcated in every one’s life irrespective of the work one does, be it household works or otherwise. Not only measurement, in fact each quest of humans indicates the power of consciousness from the search for truth to finding solutions, building skyscrapers, covering far off distances, or losing weight; to take a daily life example.
It happens with us often, we don’t value a gem of a person living with us in our own family and someone else from the outside introduce us to his immense qualities, sometimes we may take many years to value that person. In context of soul:
‘It is extremely hard to realize one who is exceptionally natural to us. It is more obvious for an outsider. The spirit is so close to us that it has remained a riddle.' 'The purer the Jiva, the higher its dimensions of learning, discernment, bliss and energy will turn into.’[3]
Being born as humans we have comparatively (the degree may vary highly) lighter karmic matter but the ones, who have experienced awakening in their lives through tapping into their higher self, start their journey towards the upliftment of the soul. It may be called purification of the soul, when the consciousness continuously moves ahead on the path to gain newer insights and knowledge.
Footnotes and references:
[1]: