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

Page 216

CONCLUSION AND RECAPITULATION
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of the states of the mind that is engaged in thinking of the external objects. It cognises the objects through the medium of mind, and not directly. If it is admitted, as some Jaina thinkers do admit; that telepathy cognises directly the contents of the mind, the knowledge of a non-material entity would be direct, for a thinker may think of a non-material object as well. But this position is against the Jaina theory of knowledge, since no person who is not omniscient, can know directly a non-material entity, according to the Jaina belief. Hence, telepathy comprehends the objects through the medium of mind, i.e., indirectly. It perceives only the mind directly. The perception of telepathy is more lucid and purer than that of clairvoyance.
OMNISCIENCE
Omniscience is the supreme of all extra-sensory perceptions. It is nothing but the perfect manifestation of the innate nature of the principle of consciousness arising on the complete dissociation of all the obscuring karmic veils. It perceives all the objects with all their modes. To justify the concept of omniscience it is argued that the progressive development of knowledge must reach its completion somewhere, because this is the way of all progression. The highest limit of the progressive development of knowledge is in the form of omniscience. It is the culmination of the faculty of cognition of a living being. FEELING AND THE OMNISCIENT
The Jaina account of sense-feeling and emotion is, no doubt, a very significant contribution to the early psychological studies of Indian thinkers. It is, to a certain extent, also verifiable by the observations of modern psychologists. We ought to admit that the ancient thinkers had no experimental basis for their speculations. They simply used to introspect and draw certain conclusions. This fact is common to both the East and the West.
Feeling denotes the simple states of pleasure and pain as well as the complex states of emotion. The first variety is simply called sense-feeling. It necessarily presupposes sense-perception. The stimulus that gives rise to it is the external cause, whereas the internal cause is in the shape of the rise of feeling-producing karma. We are somewhat surprised to note that the omniscient also pos