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JAINA PHILOSOPHY : AN INTRODUCTION
further urged that the omniscient is not capable of perceiving the past and future, inasmuch as they are non-existent. On the other hand, if they are perceived as existent, the perception of the omniscient is illusory. The Jaina says : The past and future are perceived by the omniscient not as present but as past and future. Hence, no question of illusion arises. The past things are as much existent and real in relation to their own time as the present things are existent and real in relation to the present. The same argument can be applied to the future. The omniscient knows the past as existing in the past and the future as existing in the future. Because of the absolute destruction of the obscuring veils of karma, the cognition of an omniscient person is not produced by the senses, but it is produced directly by the self. Hence, the omniscient directly perceives all the objects of the past, present and future. In other words, the limitations of space and time are only for sensory perception. They cannot obstruct the perception of an omniscient person. To summarise, the omniscient directly and immediately perceives all the objects of the universe, past, present and future, subtle and remote, by a single everlasting cognition without the assistance of senses and mind. Empirical Perception :
Now, we come to empirical perception. 'Empirical perception is conditioned by the senses and mind and is limited." The perception which has for its condition the senses and mind is called empirical perception, i.e., sâmvyavahārika pratyakșa. The meaning of the phrase 'conditioned by the senses and mind' is to be understood in both distributive and collective senses. It is said to be conditioned by the senses when the senses play a major part and the mind exerts influence in the generation, and it is said to be conditioned by the mind
• 1. Indriyanindriyanimittam desataḥ sāšvyavahārikamiti -
Pariksämukha, II. 5.
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