The Nature Of Reality: [02] The Doctrine of Anekanta (Manifold Aspects)

The Jaina term for "existent" is sat (literally, being).

This term designates an entity comprised of three aspects:

By substance the Jaina understands a support of substratum (asraha) for manifold qualities (gulfas).

The qualities are free from qualities of their own (otherwise they would themselves become substances), but invariably they undergo modifications (parinam

sad dravyalaksnam/ utpadavyaya-dhrauvyayuktam sat/ gunaparyayavad dravyam/ TS: v. 29,30,38. For a discussion of the Jaina theory of substance, see Padmarajiah 1963; Matialal 1976.

a) in the form of acquiring (utpada) new modes (paryaya or bhava) and losing (vyaya} old modes at each moment.

Thus, any existent must be seen on three levels:

1. the modes, which last only a moment and belong to the qualities
2. the qualities, which undergo changes and yet inhere forever in their substances and
3. the substance, which remains the abiding common ground of support for the qualities and their modes.

A material atom (pudgala-paramanu), for example, is considered by the Jaina as a substance.

It possesses at all times four qualities, namely:

1. a color (varna)
2. a taste (rasa)
3. a smell (gandha),
4. and a certain kind of palpability (sparsa, touch).

These qualities will vary from one moment to another - for example,

• • a red color being replaced by blue, or
  • sweet taste by bitter

- but an atom will never be found without these qualities or without some mode of each one of them.

The same rule applies to an animate entity like a soul (jiva).

A soul is designated as substance (dravya) in that it is the locus of innumerable qualities such as knowledge (jnana); bliss (sukha), energy (virya).

The knowledge quality, for example, will increase and decrease, but there is never a time when the soul is without knowledge; otherwise it would become by definition a non-soul, a material atom. The state of imperfection and perfection, expressed by such terms as matijnana (mind-based knowledge) and kevalajnana (omniscience), are in turn modes of this quality.

The other qualities of the soul similarly undergo constant change. These changes do not take place merely on a surface level; rather, their cumulative effect so transforms the soul that we can distinguish various states bound and free, pure and impure, and so on and yet relate them to one and the same soul.

Because the qualities are innumerable and their modes are infinite, stretching from the beginningless past to the endless future, it is not possible for an ordinary (nonomniscient) person to perceive the existent in its entirety.

At a single moment he can be aware either or the persisting unity (ekatva) of the substance or the transient multiplicity (anekatva) of its modes.

This complexity of the existent - its simultaneous unity and multiplicity, eternity and transience - finds expression in the Jaina term anekanta, manifold aspects, which purports to fully describe the existent's nature.