Jain Journal 2013 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 48

Dr. Anupam Jash: Some Problems in Jain Psychology
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Jaina thought. The idea of soul has occupied an important position in Indian thought. Jainism makes a dichotomous division of the categories into jiva and ajīva. Jainism considers the soul from the noumenal point of view, niscaya naya, and the phenomenal point of view, the vyāvahāra naya. The psychological implications of the nature of the soul have been discussed in this chapter.
The second chapter deals with the Jaina theory of mind in all its aspects. Jainas make a distinction between the two phases of the mind as (i) the material phase (dravya manas) and the mental phase (bhāva manas). The first phase refers to the structural aspect, and the second refers to the mental and functional aspects. The Jainas make mind a quasi-sense organ. Similarly, it is aprāpyakāri, as it does not come into physical contact with the object. These problems have been fully discussed with special reference to Indian and Western thought.
The third chapter discussed the main problems of Jaina psychology, like upayoga, jñāna and darśna, upayoga is the essential characteristics of the soul. It is interpreted here as the horme of the modern psychologists. Cetana or consciousness, is the psychic background of all experiences. Jñāna and darsana are the manifestations of upayoga in the light of the psychic background of cetana. Other problems concerning consciousness of, like the states of consciousness and self-consciousness, have also been analyzed. The Jainas, as other Indian philosophers, were aware of the unconscious in its psychological and metaphysical aspects.
In the fourth chapter, the author analyzed the Jaina concept of sense organs and sense qualities. The psychological analysis of the sense qualities, is given in this chapter following the Jaina textual basis.
The fifth chapter deals with the problems of empirical experience. It is the problem of preception and it has a great psychological significance. The Jainas mention four stages of perception: (i) avagraha, the stage of sensation, (ii) ihā, the stage of integration of sense impressions, (iii) avaya, the perceptual judgement, and (iv) dhāranā, retention. This problem have been discussed in the light of the analysis of perception.