Jainism / Anekantavada

Time (kala) is substantival and infinite — it is one of the six fundamental substances (dravyas) of Jain metaphysics, existing independently and eternally. Time is discrete: it flows in indivisible instants (samayas), the smallest units of temporal change. It is cyclical, moving through ascending (utsarpini) and descending (avasarpini) half-cycles, and uni-directional within each half-cycle. Every entity simultaneously persists and changes (permanence-in-change), reflecting Jainism's many-sided view of reality.

Space (akasha) is substantival and infinite — it is another of the six dravyas, existing independently as the medium in which all other substances reside. Space is flat, three-dimensional, and local: every soul and atom occupies a determinate position within it. Jainism distinguishes occupied space (lokakasha) from empty, infinite beyond-space (alokakasha) surrounding the finite cosmos.

Matter (pudgala) is substantival, infinite, and eternal — it is composed of indivisible, indestructible atoms (paramanu) that aggregate and disaggregate but are never created or annihilated. Matter is conserved through all transformations and locally situated. Karmic matter (karma-pudgala) physically binds to the soul, obscuring its innate omniscience; liberation requires shedding this material accretion through austerity.

Infinite and substantival — energy (virya) is an intrinsic quality of both jiva and pudgala (matter); it is a real, independent substance woven into the fabric of the cosmos. Conservation: Conserved — matter-energy (pudgala) is eternal and indestructible; atoms aggregate and disaggregate but are never created or annihilated. Dispersibility: Irreversible — karmic matter binds to the soul and must be actively shed through tapas (austerity); the cosmic process moves through irreversible half-cycles of ascent and descent.

All information is many-sided (anekanta) — no single perspective captures complete information about any object. Every entity has infinite aspects (anantadharmatmak), and every claim captures only a partial informational perspective. Information is relational because it always depends on the standpoint of the knower. It is conserved because all perspectives are eternally available. It is continuous because the many-sidedness of reality is infinitely graded.