How many souls are their ? is it infinite ?

[Mithra]

I mean jainism says that every soul is unique, so i am asking, is there a fixed number of souls ?

And also in the time cycle, was there ever a first time cycle ?

Please feel free to write your thoughts on this.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Jains have this philosophy of 'Anekantavada' - Anekantavada - Wikipedia.

"It states that the ultimate truth and reality is complex and has multiple aspects. Anekantavada has also been interpreted to mean non-absolutism, "intellectual Ahimsa", religious pluralism, as well as a rejection of fanaticism that leads to terror attacks and mass violence."

1. Affirmation: syād-asti—in some ways, it is,
2. Denial: syān-nāsti—in some ways, it is not,
3. Joint but successive affirmation and denial: syād-asti-nāsti—in some ways, it is, and it is not,
4. Joint and simultaneous affirmation and denial: syād-asti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is, and it is indescribable,
5. Joint and simultaneous affirmation and denial: syān-nāsti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is not, and it is indescribable,
6. Joint and simultaneous affirmation and denial: syād-asti-nāsti-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is, it is not, and it is indescribable,
7. Joint and simultaneous affirmation and denial: syād-avaktavyaḥ—in some ways, it is indescribable.

So, perhaps there is one or there are many, perhaps there are one and many, perhaps there is one but it is indescribale, perhaps there are many but they are indescribable, perhaps there are one and many but they are indescribable, and so on ..

 

[Yazata]

I'm not a Jain and my views shouldn't be considered in any way authoritative.

I mean jainism says that every soul is unique, so i am asking, is there a fixed number of souls ?

My belief is that the ancient Jains believed that souls are innumerable or beyond counting. I'm not sure whether that constitutes infinity in a modern mathematical sense.

And also in the time cycle, was there ever a first time cycle ?

No, I don't think that they thought that there was any sort of initial beginning. Time extends into the past without any beginning to be found.

Of course there have been all sorts of Jain philosophers and philosophies, and I'm not up to speed on them. So there may have been a variety of views on these things.

 

[Aupmanyav]

@Yazata , late reply, but I think you are broadly right. 'Anekantawada'. Jain never (or should not according to their philosophy) make a definative answer.