Jaina Epistemology

SR No.: 006738
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1990
Total Pages: 516
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 21 MB

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Epistemology of Jainas
objective appearance is one and the same, in spite of the difference in cognisers. Objective appearance changes with the change of object. The subjective appearance, on the other hand, changes with the change of subject. The idealist cannot explain this difference between the two appearances.
The Jaina is an empiricist. He holds that everything that is apprehended must have objective existence. He differs from the realistic Buddhism also, which holds the notion of class as merely conceptual. On the other hand he discards the Sankhya view also, which holds the notion of parucularity as merely conceptual. The Jaina holds that the aspects of generality and particularity, both are real and objective. Both of them exist in each and every object.
Now, we come to the question of relation between the two. According to the Advaita Vedānta the object is related with the subject through the mode of antaḥkarana. The antaḥkaraņa goes out through the medium of senses and transforms itself into the form of object. This mode of antaḥkarana destroys the obscuring ajñāna, lying with the consciousness conditioned by the object. “This results into the appearance of jar which was projected by avidyā.
According to Yogācāra this relation means appearance of the subject in the form of object.
Amongst realists the Sautrāntika and Sankhya are the advocates of representation theory. The Sautrāntika holds that jñāna takes the form of object. This he calls tadākāratā (coordination). Thus, cognition of jar mears the coordination of jar by jñāna. The latter does not reach the object directly, but gets its coordination and can infer the existence of object, through it. The Sānkhya holds that the object is reflected into the mode of buddhi. Cognition means the apprehension of that reflection only. In the vṛtti of Vedānta the contact with the object is real. In the case of Sānkhya it is merely a reflection. Thus, the buddhi is not able to reach the object directly.