Studies in Jaina Philosophy

SR No.: 001616
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society
Publication Year: 1951
Total Pages: 366
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, Knowledge, Yoga, & Epistemology
File Size: 9 MB

Page 163

[CH.
Omniscient Lord, there are nama (name) and rupa (form), the figments of avidya, indefinable either as identical with or as different from the Lord, the germs of the world process, and known in the scripture (Śruti) and the traditional literature (Smrti) as māyā, sakti (energy) and prakṛti (the primordial nature) of the Omniscient Lord."1 Māyā thus is the cosmic force belonging to the Lord. It is nāma and rūpa. It is the appearance of the great Atman. Or, we can say, maya is the appearance of Reality. This is Sankara's conception of māyā.
Now let us end this section with a remark or two on the relation of avidya and maya. Sankara does never attempt to draw a line of distinction between avidya and māyā. But it seems that he postulates māyā mainly for explaining the origination of the world appearance and avidya for explaining the attachment of the individual to that appearance. If this is the case, then we can say that māyā and avidya are complements each of the other.
Let us now turn to the Buddhist conception of avidyā.
126
PROBLEM OF AVIDYA
VII
AVIDYA IN THE BUDDHIST SCHOOL
'Just as in a peaked house (kūṭāgāra), O Brethren, whatever rafters there are, all converge to the roof-peak, resort equally to the roofpeak, all go to junction there, even so, whatever wrong states there are, all have their root in ignorance, all may be referred to ignorance, all are fixed together in ignorance, all go to junction there."" 'Whatever misfortunes there are here in this world, or in the next, they all have their root in ignorance (avijjāmūlaka), and are given rise to by longing and desire."
The Buddhist chain of pratityasamutpada (dependent origination) begins with avidya (ignorance) which is considered as the root of the world process. From avidya (ignorance) originate samskāras (predispositions), from samskaras originates vijñāna (seed-consciousness), from vijñāna originates nama-rupa (mind and body), and similarly ṣaḍāyatana (the six sense-organs), sparsa (contact), vedana (feeling), tṛṣṇa (craving), upadana (clinging), bhava (coming to be), jāti (birth) and jaramarana (old age and death) originate. This process of origination is beginningless, and avidya (ignorance) and tṛṣṇā (craving) are the parents of this process. Tṛṣṇā (craving) is the mother and
1 sarvajñasye 'śvarasya 'tmabhūta iva 'vidyakalpite namarupe tattvänyatvabhyam anirvacaniye samsara-prapañca-bijabhute sarvajñasye 'śvarasya māyā saktiḥ prakṛtir iti ca śrutismṛtyor abhilapyete--SBh, BS, II. I. 14.
2 SNi, XX. J. Translation by Mrs. Rhys Davids.
3 Itivuttaka ($40), p. 34. The Basic Conception of Buddhism, p. 57. 4 We have referred to this chain in Chap. I, p. 10.