In
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...
, Pudgala (or ') is one of the six
Dravyas, or aspects of reality that fabricate the world we live in. The six ''dravya''s include the
jiva
''Jiva'' ( sa, जीव, IAST: ) is a living being or any entity imbued with a life force in Hinduism and Jainism. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit verb-root ''jīv'', which translates as 'to breathe' or 'to live'. The ''jiva'', ...
and the fivefold divisions of
ajiva
''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc.
...
(non-living) category: ''dharma'' (motion), ''adharma'' (rest), ''akasha'' (space), ''pudgala'' (matter) and ''kala'' (time). ''Pudgala'', like other ''dravya''s except ''kala'' is called ''astikaya'' in the sense that it occupies space.
Pudgala is derived from the words 'pud', which is defined as Supplement (Addition /Fusion), and gala, which is defined as Disintegrate, or Division or Fission. Therefore, Pudgalas are best defined as all things that are continuously changing by the process of Supplementation or Disintegration, namely matter.
The individual unit of Pudgala is the material from which all is made called a
Paramanu
Paramanu is a technical term in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. It is defined as the smallest and indivisible particle of matter. In Hindi language paramanu refers to the atom.
In Jainism it is one of the two types of Pudgala (matter), the othe ...
, which, by the process of supplementation, can combine to form what can be roughly said is an aggregate, called a
Skandha. It possesses at all times four
qualities, namely, a color (''varna''), a taste (''rasa''), a smell (''gandha''), and a certain kind of palpability (''sparsha'', touch).
In
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, ''Pudgala'' means the entity that reincarnates as an individual or person, i.e., the ''bundle of tendencies'' that keeps an individual reincarnating until they attain
enlightenment.
[Dasgupta, Surendranath (1975, reprint 2010). ''A History of Indian Philosophy'', Vol.I, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, , p.195n]
See also
*
Tattva (Jainism)
*
Dravya (Jainism)
*
Ajiva
''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc.
...
*
Pudgalavada
Notes
References
*
External links
The Jaina Philosophy, Pudgala Surendranath Dasgupta, 1940
{{Jainism topics
Jain philosophical concepts
ko:불교 용어/ㅍ#푸드갈라