Ferrari & Dähnhardt/Soulless Matter, 12. When Earth Comes Alive

The primary objective of this paper is to explore the notion of earth-beings as proposed by the Jain tradition. Akin to divine (deva), hellish (nāraki), human (manuṣya) and animal beings (tiryañc) Jains consider plants (vanaspati), water- (āpo-kāyika), air- (vāyu-kāyika), fire- (tejo-kāyika) and earth-bodied (pṛthivῑ-kāyika) beings to be alive as well, the criterion for life being the possession and application of the attribute of consciousness (caitanya).

Earth-beings represent one kind of possible embodiment, in which living substances are bound by bodies that have the nature of earth.

The class of earth-beings is a pluralistic category just as the general ontology of life and matter in Jainism is pluralistic. Jainism does not put forward a notion of earth as such but instead refers to a multitude of earth-beings. These include raw soil, particles of dust, sand, raw minerals, pebbles, sand, salt, iron, copper, lead, silver, gold, diamonds, etc. This paper will look at various accounts of these subcategories in Jain literature, namely, basic descriptions of their smallest and biggest possible sizes, their characteristic of immobility, their single sense of touch, their instincts, and their experience of pleasure and pain. Their status within the broader ontological-cosmological doctrine will also be discussed as well as the character of their interactions with other living beings, the karmic contexts within which embodiments in the form of earth-beings are possible, the life-span of these embodiments, and the possible future rebirths following them. Additionally, this paper will point out and critically examine the implications of the described doctrines of earth-beings for the practical life of Jain laity and mendicants. The attitudes towards as well as the actual exploitation of earthly resources with a particular reference to the differences and similarities between Jains in the past and today will be analysed.