________________
Para-psychology and Jainism
169
living beings, in all the possible status of existence, viz., hellish sub-buman, mankind, celestial beings, and liberated beings, whereas telepathic knowledge is possible only for human beings with exalted conductI occupying anyone of the stages of spiritual perfection (Guvasthāna ) ranging between the 6th to the 12th stages. With regard to the object of Telepathic knowledge, it extends to the infinitesimal part of the subtlest form of mental atoms ( Mano-vargaņās ). In Clairvoyance, we intuit other forms of atoms limited to the material object and that again not covering all their modes. But a closer study will reveal that the line of demarcation between the two is not very clear. I do not say that they do not differ. They differ only in degrees. Qualitatively, they are the same. Hence a famous Jaina logician Siddhasena Divakara does not recognise any distinction between Clairvoyance and telepathy%, and extends the scope of telepathy to the sub-human organisins. Anyway, for a specialised study, I think, the distinction will continue. (f) Clairvoyance, Telepathy and Modern Psychical Research
“Legends and reports of apparent telepathy or clairvoyance must be as old as man”, said A. S. Parkes in his opening remarks in a CIBA3 foundation symposium on 'Extrasensory-preception'. During the last three decades, resolute efforts have been made to apply the diflerent problems of extra-sensory-perception under laboratory conditions where millions of tests have been carried in the same way as those used in other ordinary branches of research, which may be said to establish the fact beyond the possibility of
1. Jina Das : Ibid. 2. (a) Akalaukadeva : Nyaya-Viniscaya ( Ed. and Hindi
trans, Mahendra Kumar Shastri ), Singhi Jaina
Granthamala, Ahmedabad, 1939. (b) Yasovijaya : Jñana-bindu-prakarawa, Ibid. 3. Wolstenholme, G. E. W. & Miller, E. CP. (Ed.): Extra
seasory-perception, C. I, B. A. Foundation, London 1956.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
