Introduction to Jaina Sadhna

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 47

40: An Introduction to Jaina Sadhanā
knower-known relationship. Even an ordinary man can know through his common-sense that whatsoever is the object of his knowledge, is not his self, but not-self. Right knowledge is the knowledge of self and self can be known only with reference to not-self. Knowing the nature of not-self and differentiating it from self is the science of discrimination (bheda-vijñāna ) and this constitutes the essential meaning of right knowledge in the Jaina Philosophy.
Acārya Kundakunda has made an exhaustive study of the science of discrimination ( Bheda-vijñāna ) in his book Samayasāra (207, 210), he says
Puggala kammaṁ koho tassa vivāgodao havadi eso.. na hu es a majjhabhāvo jānagabhāvo du ahamikko. udayavivāgo viviho kammāņas vannido jiņavaraenim na du te majjha sahāvā jānaga bhāvo du ahamikko.
Anger etc. are due to the power of fruition of the karmic matter and thus, they are not the real nature of self. The self is only knower; Jainas have explained various kinds of fruition and these operation of karmas are not the real nature of self. The self is the pure knower. Acārya Amrtacandrasūri says : he, who is liberated ( siddha ), has become so, through discrimination of self from not-self and he who is in bondage is so due to its absence (Samayasāra Kalasa, 132 ). In Istopadeša ( 33 ) it is mentioned that a right knowledge is that in which a clear distinction between the self and the not-self is made.
Thus in Jainism, from the practical point of view, right knowledge is the knowledge of the seven principles, namely Jiva, Ajiva, Asrava, Samvara, Bandha, Nirjarā and Mokşa. But from the real point of view right knowledge is the knowledge of the real and the true nature of the self as quite distinct from the not-self. It is a discriminative knowledge between the self and not-self. The right knowledge means the knowledge of our own