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KNOWLEDGE
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apprehension of its content as 'this." Categories of Perception :
The most significant thing to be noted in this connection is that the Jaina philosophers divide perceptual knowledge into two categories. In the first category they put that perceptual cognition which is directly related to soul. This perception is called direct perception, immediate perception, transcendental perception, extra-sensory perception or real perception. The second category is known as empirical perception, pragmatic perception or sensory perception. Direct Perception :
'The perfect manifestation of the innate nature of a soul, emerging on the total annihilation of all obstructive veils, is called direct perception."
The self has consciousness as its essence which is luminous by its very nature. The manifestation of the luminous nature of self, which is nothing but the self as manifested, is styled pāramārthika pratyakşa, i.e., real perception. It is the highest kind of all cognitions. It is characterised as pure and perfect in the scriptures, since it is independent of the services of external instruments such as sense-organs and mind. It emerges on the disappearance of obscuring veils which results from the total purging of all the obstructive karmas. The soul is manifested in its pure nature and perceives the whole of reality in a direct and immediate manner. Hence, it is called omniscience (kevala-jñāna).
Omniscience is not the only instance of transcendental
1. Prumāņāntarānapekşedantayā pratibhāso vā vaiếadium
Pramāna-mīmāmsā. I. 1. 14 Pratityantarávyavadhänena višeşavattayā vā pratibhasanam
vaiśadyam-Parīksa-mukha, II. 4. 2. Tad dviprakäram sāmvyāvahärikam pāramārthikam ca ---
Pramāna-naya-tattvāloka, II. 4. 3. Tatsarvathāvaranavilaye cetanasya svarūpāvirbhāvo mukhyam
kevalam-Pramana-mimämsā, 1. 1.15.
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