Jaina Philosophy of Non Absolutism

SR No.: 001213
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Satkari Mookerjee, S N Dasgupta
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas
Publication Year: 1978
Total Pages: 314
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, B000, & B025
File Size: 18 MB

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The Jaina Philosophy of Non-Absolutism
be an end of the controversy, since it would amount to an admission of an objective universal.
An alternative explanation has been offered by Jñānaśri of the objective reference of conceptual thought. It is asserted that though conceptual thought does not envisage the objective real, it can inspire volition and motor activity towards the real, being derived from a veridical intuition. The intuition of a real leaves a subtle effect when it becomes defunct. The effect may be called a psychical leaven (vāsanā), which, though momentary like the intuition that generated it, is uniformly renewed. The continuum of the renewed leavens is suspended, when it attains maturity and is exhausted by the generation of its effect. Conceptual thought is an effect of the leaven left by a previous intuition. There is thus a bond of causal relation between conception and intuition on the one hand, and between intuition and an objective real on the other. That intuition is caused by the real, which is its object, is admitted by the Naiyāyika also. The volitional impulse, arising from conceptual thought, is directed towards the real, which is a remote condition of the leaven from which conceptual thought derives its genesis. The existence of the causal relationship prevents promiscuous activity. The presence or absence of the external object to consciousness has no bearing upon volitional urge or motor activity, which moves towards the real to which it is causally related.1
The plausibility of Jñanaśri's theory is undeniable. It seems to succeed in explaining the definite reference of conceptual thought and volitional activity towards an objective real in spite of the fact that the latter is not present to the mind at the time. But the theory is based upon an assumption. There must be a relation between cognition and its object. Now, the question arises whether the cognitive relation is derived from the relation of causality. In plain language, the problem can be stated as follows. Is cognitive relation ultimate or derived from causality ? The Jaina denies that causality is determinant of cognitive relation. Even those philosophers, who believe perceptual
1. svavāsanāparipákavaśād upajāyamānai 'va sā buddhir apaśyanty api bāhyam bāhye pravșttim atanoti'. Jñanaśri quoted by Sankara Miśra, ATVS., p. 356.
quoted by sarmikaria Mistral