Jaina Psychology

SR No.: 006570
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar
Publication Year: 1955
Total Pages: 238
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 13 MB

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JAINA PSYCHOLOGY
object without the cognition of its specific attributes. Comprehension, on the other hand, is the knowledge of the specific characters of the object. Nemicandra is one of the exponents of this view. There are still others who hold that apprehension is the first stage of cognition where a person is barely conscious of the existence of a particular object. It originates just after the contact of the object with the sense. The same fact is expressed by Hemacandra in a negative fashion like this: Apprehension is the cognition of an object which does not take into consideration any specific determinations. It takes place immediately after the sense-object-contact. Apprehension is the stuff which is transformed into comprehension. In other words, apprehension itself undergoes transformation into the subsequent state of cognition, i.e., comprehension. Thus, the object of comprehension is essentially the same as that of apprehension. Of the three views, the last one seems to be more rational, psychological, and satisfactory. TEMPORAL RELATION BETWEEN APPREHENSION AND
COMPREHENSION
As regards the temporal relation between the occurrences of apprehension and comprehension in an imperfect person, the Jaina thinkers are unanimous. All of them admit that there is no simultaneous occurrence of both of them in imperfect beings like us. Regarding the case of a perfect person i.e., an omniscient, there is no unanimity among them. They can again be classified into three blocs. Some like Umāsvāti, Kundakunda, Pūjyapāda, Akalanka, Vidyānanda, and others hold that the apprehension and comprehension in the omniscient occur simultaneously. Some others like Jinabhadra, etc., hold that the appearance of apprehension and comprehension in the omniscient is successive and not simultaneous. Siddhasena regards the apprehension and comprehension of the omniscient as identical and not as separate. He says that we can distinguish between apprehension and comprehension upto the stage of telepathy (manahparyaya.) In the state of omniscience, however, they are identical. Since the destruction of apprehension-obscuring (darśanāvarana) karma and comprehension-obscuring (jñānāvarana) karma is synchronous, the dawnings of perfect apprehension and perfect comprehension also occur at the same time. Because of the impossibility of the occurrence of two con