Answer

In Jain Dharma:

• Jiva means the living soul or consciousness.
• Ajiva means non-living matter or things without consciousness.

So:

• Your body is ajiva — it is made of matter.
• But the soul inside the body is jiva.

A tree is also a living being in Jainism because it contains jiva. The tree’s physical form is ajiva matter, but the life within it is jiva.

Explanation

Jain philosophy teaches that the universe has two main kinds of reality:

• Jiva — that which knows, feels, and has consciousness
• Ajiva — that which does not know or feel

Examples of ajiva:

• body
• clothes
• earth
• water
• air
• fire
• space
• objects around us

Examples of jiva:

• humans
• animals
• birds
• insects
• plants and trees

So when you say “my body,” the body itself is not the jiva. The jiva is the soul that uses the body.

Spiritual Understanding

This teaching is very important in Jain Dharma because it helps us understand:

• the difference between the body and the soul
• why all living beings deserve compassion
• why we should avoid हिंसा, harm, and cruelty
• why spiritual progress means knowing the true self as jiva, not as the body

A Jain understands:

• “I am not only the body.”
• “I am a conscious soul.”
• “Other living beings also have jiva and deserve respect.”

Takeaway

• Body = ajiva
• Soul = jiva
• Tree is a living being, so it has jiva

In short, the body and tree form are matter, but the living consciousness within is jiva.