Jaina Concept of Omniscience

SR No.: 001547
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Ramjee Singh
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1974
Total Pages: 258
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Knowledge
File Size: 17 MB

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CONCLUSION
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all karmic-matter. 18 As a matter of fact, the attribute of omniscience is an important feature of the state of liberation, other features being omnibliss, omnipower and omnifaith. So, we can conclude that omniscience follows from the state of liberation. This is also corroborated by the statement that "only the liberated souls are said to possess omniscience”, 13 We can also say that the state of supreme salvation or selfrealisation is also the state of supreme-knowledge or omniscience. Infact, the two are indistinguishable. Freedom and knowledge are coeval and coexistent.
Omniscience is, therefore, not only the culmination of our cognitive faculties, it is also the final consummation of our moral, religious and spiritual life. Hence, we find an intimate relation between the state of salvation and omniscience. In Buddhism, the state of liberation (nirvāņa) is also the state of enlightenment (bodhi-sattva) or wisdom (prajñā). The perfect being (tathāgata) is, therefore, the owner of perfect wisdom (prajñā-pārmitā). This state is reached through the progressive development of our thought concentration (bhāvanā) which leads to the annihilation of the various handicaps to knowledge (iñeyāvarana). In Sānkhya-Yoga, the state of omniscience is achieved during the absolute and absording concentration (asaṁprajñāta somödhi or dharma-meghc-samādhi) as a result of the removal of the veil of knowledge. In Nyāya-Vaišesika also omniscience is the result of adrsta born out of the highest yogic concentration. In Vedānta, omniscience follows from the state of realisation of the oneness of self and Brahman In short, almost all the systems of Indian philosophy try to link the concept of omniscience with the highest state of religious and spiritual life.
As God's omniscience follows from the perfection, 14 simi.
12 Umāsvāmi, Ibid., X-2: See Yogindu, Paramātma- prakāśa, II. 63, etc. 13 Vadideva Sūri, Pramāna-noya-tattvalokālankāru, II. 14; cp. Yogindu,
Ibid., II. 6, 46, etc. 14 According to Christianity, God is absolutely omniscient because He JCO-29