Book Title: Jaina Psychology
Author(s): Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

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Page 214
________________ CONCLUSION AND RECAPITULATION 197 new one. It adopts two forms: inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. In the former, we draw a general conclusion from particular cases. In the latter, particular conclusions are drawn from universal premises. VERBAL COMPREHENSION Verbal comprehension is the cognition derived from the reading or hearing of words of trustworthy persons. It is necessarily preceded by non-verbal comprehension, inasmuch as perception of words is essential for its emergence. Bhadrabāhu enumerates eight qualities necessary to give rise to it: desire for hearing (includingreading), repeated questioning, attentive hearing, grasping, equiry, conviction, retention, and right action, Conscious exercise of the faculty of language is the essential condition of verbal comprehension. Jinabhadra formulates the following definition of verbal comprehension: The knowledge that comes into being owing to the activity of the senses and mind, is possessed of proper words in accordance with the conventional application, and is capable of expressing its contents clearly, is verbal comprehension, whereas the rest is non-verbal comprehension. Speculation, simple judgment, etc., are also possessed of proper language, nonetheless, they come under the category of non-verbal comprehension, since they do not possess any deliberate application of language. Because language is an exceedingly important instrument of conveying knowledge to others, therefore, it is held to be the cardinal factor of verbal comprehension. Sometimes we make use of physical gestures in place of language to convey our intention to others. Verbal comprehension performs two-fold function: In the form of knowledge it reveals its contents to the knower himself, while in the shape of verbal expression it reveals its contents to others as well. EXTRA-SENSORY PERCEPTION Excepting the schools of Cārvāka and Mīmāṁsā all the schools of Indian psychology admit of the possibility of the occurrence of extra-sensory perception. They believe that the person possessing the peculiar power of supra-sensory comprehension can cognise the past as well as the future. This conception is of hoary antiquity in India. Those who have worked on scientific lines in modern age on the problem of extra-sensory perception also admit of the possibility of cognition independent of the assistance of the senses and mind.

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