Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t8.37

v1.c7.s7.t8.37

Concerning “Pudgala”, *Tattvarthadhigamasutra* 5.19-25 explains, “the function of Pudgala is to form the basis of the body and the organs of speech and mind and respiration, and also to contribute to sensuous pleasure, suffering, life and death of living beings”. As we can see, “Pudgala” in Jainism actually means “matter” as the fundamental elements of worldly things and is of the form of an atom and of the form of an aggregate. Atom was actually considered by most ancient Indians as the smallest unit for each type of matter, a theory that was later adopted by many schools of thought.