The Soul-Essence

and its solution. Obviously, the benchmark of the eternal Truth, as laid down in the scriptures, is to be applied by every man or woman according to the specific point at hand and in the light of surrounding circumstances of Substance, Place, Time, and the intended object. In this sense, Jainism may be said to be the highest expression original: "apotheosis" of Relativity, a concept from the East with which the Western world has recently become familiar.

Substance, Place, Time, and Disposition original: "Dravya, Kshetra, Kala and Bhava" form the eternal four-part framework for our practical guidance. The same question can be—and even must be—answered differently according to the differences in substance, place, time, and circumstances. This approach deals a final blow to rigid consistency and conservative orthodoxy, whether social or political; it perhaps indicates the wonderful, essential sameness of religion and true conduct, even when they appear in different forms in different countries and ages.

Great is the power of Purity and Truth. The ten aspects of religion—Supreme Forgiveness, Humility, Straightforwardness, Truth, Contentment, Self-control, Austerity, Renunciation, Possessionlessness, and Chastity (or Self-absorption)—are of eternal value, guidance, and inspiration. They are given by God and lead us to God. We reach the divine through them. They counteract the sins and passions of anger, pride, deceit, greed, and others. Sin and sorrow are as eternal, infinite, and indestructible as the soul and salvation themselves. You may cross the ocean of the worldly cycle original: "Samsara", but you never destroy the ocean itself.

Those capable of liberation original: "Bhavyas or Liberables" only attempt to follow the path laid down by the Enlightened Beings original: "Arhantas". However, worldly misery must always remain unstoppable in its scale and duration.

The motion and movements of matter are not necessarily signs of life. Matter may be moved by the soul, but even then, it is moved by the "non-soul" partner of the soul in its embodied condition. A pure soul has no desire or need to move matter of any kind. Thus, in a way, matter is moved only by matter. In other words, the soul is not the cause of any motion, except when the soul is impure—soiled by its connection with matter; only then does it become the cause of motion. Even love, art, and the noblest and highest forms of human endeavor are material and should eventually be renounced. A beautiful form is born of matter, a result of the physical body being made of matter-assimilating particles Aharaka Vargana: in Jain cosmology, these are specific groups of matter molecules that the soul draws in to form certain types of bodies. Love is only an effect produced upon the mind by this form of beauty. The soul may also be affected by deep—