Living Systems in Jainism: A Scientific Study: 06.06 ►Higher Evolution

Sensual evolution up to the stage of a human being is in fact the lower kind of evolution, in which the soul starts its journey from the sub-microorganism stage and reaches a state with a five-sense body and mind. Further evolution is spiritual in nature, in which the soul attains the ultimate goal of perfection and purity. The journey begins with the realization that the body is different from the soul and that the body is the source of all miseries and sufferings. On such realization, the soul undergoes a sea change in its outlook. The external world loses attraction; it directs its mind and energy to the purification of the soul by removing the karmic load through the practice of austerities, penance and meditation. Jainism has dealt in detail with the rules and methods for this spiritual journey, which ends up with the state of omniscience in the embodied form. In the last stage, the soul is emancipated, discards the body, and lives in a pure and perfect state forever, realizing infinite bliss, intelligence, awareness and energy. This higher evolution has not yet become the subject of scientific investigation.