Book Title: Jaina Epistemology
Author(s): Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 405
________________ 380 Epistemologo of Jainas on them, at the destruction of Klesavarana and Jñeyāvaramar. Bodhi is the knowledge of entire universe, which helps Buddha in his preaching. Prajñā is perceptual and inarticulate Bodhi is articulate. Though, these terms are generally confused and sometimes applied in one and the same sense; yet they can be distinguished in the above way. The souls, which attain prajfia enter into nirvāņa, which is the state of cessation of all the psychic phenomena the series of which is known as soul. It is interpreted as total extinction of the discursive knowledge, dissolution in Ālayavijñāna or sünya by the different buddhist tenets Bodhisattva does not enter into Nirvāna till he is not able to liberate all the souls from bondage. The conception of bodhisattva can be compared with the Jaina conception of Tirtha karas A Tirthankara also is altributed with many supernatural embellishments which are not found in ordinary Arhats. They are, in Jainism also, meant for increasing the influence of a Tirthaikara who establishes a new order for salvation of others. But, as far as knowledge is concerned, there is no difference between an ordinary Arhat and a Tirthankara. Furtber, a Tirthařkara does not wait for the salvation of all beings, as bodhisattva of the buddhist does. Tirthařkara also enters into pirvāna with the expiry of of his current life as other Arhats do, In the stage of Nirvāna or Moksa all of them enjoy equal status. The soul does not cease to exist in it, but continues with its knowledge of the universe. As far as kevalajñāna is concerned the ordinary Arhats. Tirtharkaras and Siddhas (the liberated souls) do not hold any difference; which is not the case with Buddhists. According to them Bodhisattva is superior to all others in res. pect of knowledge. As a matter of fact, according to Buddhism, omniscience is not natural. It is a quality attained through practice. Bodhisattva attains it through long practice of ionumerable lives. It is not a necessary result of the destruction of passions. According to Jainism it is a necessary result. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516