From IIM Ahmedabad To Happiness

Author(s): Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers

Page 83

KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY
The thought-object located in the mind of another is called manah (mind) due to its association with the mind. Ascertaining the thoughts and ideas of others as well as of their past lives, is telepathy. Telepathy is far more potent than clairvoyance in terms of its purity and regions of space and time.
When all the perception- and knowledge-obstructing karmas are destroyed, omniscience is attained. An omniscient comprehends all substances and their modifications. Omniscience, full and perfect, is the highest kind of perception, which knows all things, unlimited by time and space. Attainment of omniscience is possible and is possessed by purified souls of very high order, who have freed their souls from the bondage of all destructive karmas. We can only presume its glory, which is beyond description.
It may be mentioned here that sensory knowledge, scriptural knowledge, and clairvoyance can also be erroneous knowledge, especially when these are associated with wrong beliefs. To give an analogy, the taste of milk kept in an inappropriate container becomes unpleasant; the defect lies with the receptacle and not with milk. A person who has such wrong knowledge acts in a whimsical manner. unable to distinguish or discern between th right and the wrong. Even when his statement is correct, it does not carry much weight because it is not grounded on right belief and discernment. The last two types of knowledge – telepathy and omniscience - can be acquired only by the purified souls and, therefore, there is no scope for an error.
The foregoing assertion makes it clear that reading of books or listening to others can only help us in getting a minuscule fraction of the extant knowledge; the main source lies in our own power to meditate and concentrate. However, this power of ours has dwindled to a great extent as we have hardly any time left from the pursuit of sensual pleasures and riches.
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