Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

Page 211

190 Jain Philosophy in Historical Outline make it possible for an individual to suffer and enjoy the fruits thereof. The Karma of the present life determines the particular kind of future birth, the period of life and the painful and joyful experiences destined for that life. The influence of some form of Yoga system on the disciplinary codes of the Jains has been suggested by Jacobi. He has shown that a few sūtras of Umāsvāti? are directly inspired from similar verses occuring in Patañjali's Yoga-sūtra. In connection with Samvara or stoppage we come across the Jain insistence on the gutti or control of the mind, speech and body. This is possible by refraining from samrambha, samārambha and ärambha." These denote the stages of the preparation and the performance of forbidden thinking, speaking and acting. The tenfold monastic morality (dhar ma) and the twelve pessimistic reflections, conceived by Umāsvāti,5 have a close bearing on the Yoga precepts. Details of Jain Yogic practices are furnished by Schübring6 by which the aspirant can withdraw himself from his surrounding, reach the state of indifference towards all that the five senses offer, suppress the four passions, avoid displeasing and promote pleasing activities of the inner sense, speech and body and finally raise himself to the resting-place secluded from all worldly dealings and temptations.
The influence of Yoga on Jain philosophy can also clearly be observed in the conception of transcendental perception. This transcendental perception is named differently is different systems. In the Sāmkhya, Nyāya-Vaiseșika and Buddhist systems it is known as Yogi-pratakşya (i.e. Yogic perception) or Yogi-jñāna (i.e. Yogic knowledge) and is supposed to be born as a result of competence acquired through Yogic practices. In Jain philosophy, the Āgamic, i.e. earlier or canonical, tradition insists that transcendental perception alone should be treated as direct perception to which category it places the avadhi, manahparyāya and kevala jñānās. Later Jain logicians however attempted to bring empirical perception under the category of Pratyaksa. In any case, the conception of Yogic perception, indeterminate as well as determinate, has some bearing on the Jain avadhi-darśana and Kevaladarśana which posit a type of cognition arising independently of sense
1SBE, XXII; introduction, XXX ff. *TTDS, VII, 4-7. 3ibid, IX. *Uttara, XXIV, 19 ff. STTDS, IX, 6-7. DJ, 277 ff.