Plant soul

 ( Vitalism ) 

A plant soul is the religious philosophical concept that contain . Religions that recognize the existence of plant souls include Jainism and Manichaeism.

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In Jainism Jains believe that plants have souls ( jīva) that experience only one sense, which is touch.

The Ācārāṅga Sūtra states that "plants ... and the rest of creation (experience) individually pleasure or displeasure, pain, great terror, and unhappiness" (1.1.6). In another excerpt from the Ācārāṅga Sūtra (1.1.5),

(Note that the pronouns "this" and "that" in Hermann Jacobi's original 1884 translation have been substituted with "men" and "plants".)

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In Manichaeism The Cologne Mani Codex contains stories showing that Manichaeans believed in the existence of sentient plant souls.

In Augustine of Hippo's Confessions (4.10), Augustine wrote that while he was a Manichaean, he believed that "a fig-tree wept when it was plucked, and the tree, its mother, shed milky tears".

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Influence of Jainism on Manichaeism

Fynes (1996) argues that Jain ideas about the existence of plant souls were transmitted from Western Satraps territories to Mesopotamia and then integrated into Manichaeism beliefs.

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See also

• Plant perception (physiology)
• Plant perception (paranormal)
• Plant rights

Categories: Vitalism, Plants, Religious Philosophical Concepts, Jain Philosophical Concepts, Manichaeism, Souls

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