Life and Death: Metallurgy of The Soul: Back to Nature

By V K Jain

Studying Jain holy scriptures, I found I could draw a parallel between the behaviour of matter or non-living substance and the soul which is a living substance. Souls are infinite in number: Some are pure and liberated; others are unliberated and live a bodily or embodied existence.

Pure souls possess properties or characteristics comprising infinite knowledge, vision and bliss and are quite different from unliberated, mundane, souls which have limited knowledge through mind and sense organs, experiencing birth and death.

Unliberated souls retain all worldly imperfections like anger, pride, delusion, fear, pain and pleasure. Each soul, according to Jainism, can attain liberation by annihilating all the karmas attached to it through knowledge and by meditation and practising self-restraint and austerity.

During my long association with Hindustan Zinc Limited, a company engaged in the production of zinc metal from its natural ore through mining, ore concentration and smelting processes, I realised that the entire process is similar to that narrated in Jain scriptures for attaining liberation of the soul.

Zinc metal is found in soil as a mineral which includes sulphur (zinc sulphide) and is associated with a number of other elements like silica, graphite, iron, copper, cadmium and silver. Zinc is also seen in its other forms like zinc oxide, zinc sulphate, zinc chloride, zinc phosphide and brass due to its affinity to different elements. Because of this attachment to other materials zinc loses its intrinsic properties. To regain its true nature zinc has to detach itself from all other associated materials or impurities. The mining, ore beneficiation or metal concentration of ore and smelting process breaks the old and strong bonds of zinc with non-zinc substances. Slowly, these substances are removed until finally, zinc is isolated as pure metal, true to its original self. In other words, zinc attains liberation at this point.

Jain scriptures say that the soul or jiva dravya is also found in nature in impure or combined form in association with non-living matter called karma. This karmic bondage leads to the destruction of inherent properties of pure soul. The old karmas are shed after yielding their fruit and new karmas get attracted to the soul because of continuous attachment due to worldly desires through mind, body or speech. The soul experiences pain and pleasure of different intensity depending on the degree of karmic bondage.

Jain scriptures describe seven main tattvas, the knowledge of which is essential for attaining liberation. These are jiva - soul or the living; ajiva - non-living or matter; asrava - influx of karmic matter into the soul; bandha or bondage of soul with non-living karmas; samvara - stoppage of the karmic influx; nirjara - partial dissociation of acquired karmic matter from the soul, and moksha or complete liberation of soul from karmic bondage.

A soul with attachment binds karmas while a soul free from attachment becomes liberated from them - so bondage and liberation lies within the self. Jain ethics consider liberation of soul as true happiness, and is the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, we are not aware of our true nature as we are satisfied with the present status that's like impure zinc ore. Once we recognise our divine self as pure matter, the process of purification can begin, revealing infinite peace, knowledge, happiness, putting an end to the cycle of birth and death. This can be achieved by practising virtues like forgiveness, humility, charity, truthfulness, renunciation, detachment and continence.

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See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)