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JAINISM: A THEISTIC PHILOSOPHY "GOD IN JAINISM"
Indian thinkers, Śamkara believes that perfection can be reached even here in this life. It is not a mere extra-mundane prospect, like heaven, to be attained hereafter in an unperceived future."
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Jaina Soul-Psychology and Omniscience
Knowledge is the natural and distinguishing characteristic of the soul (jiva). If it were not the nature of soul, it would either the nature of the non-soul (ajiva) or of nothing whatsoever.
Knowledge and the knower cannot be separated from each other. For Jainas, unlike Vaiśeşikas, a thing and its attributes are not two separate entities brought together by a third category samavāya or inherence. According to Jaina metaphysics, a substance and its attributes form an inseparable and indivisible unity.
Just as a serpent is identical with the coil of his body that he makes so also knowledge is in fact identical with the soul, though it has different types of modes. This view of consciousness and self is also corroborated by actual experience. We are always aware of ourselves as the knower and never as unconscious or first being, unconscious and then becoming conscious as a result of our relation with the consciousness.
To Vedantins, the quality of knowing does not constitute the nature of Brahman, for Brahman is above these limitations. He is pure consciousness. The quality knowing is the function of consciousness when associated with the antaḥkaraṇa. Brahman is free from the duality of object and subject, knower and known.
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The Jains claim that they preserve the concreteness of knowledge and empirical knowledge; because they neither treat intellect as unconscious nor do they accuse empirical knowledge
20 Samkara Bhāṣya on Kathopanisad, 6-14
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Vedānta-paribhāṣā, Dharmarajādhvarindra, P-17
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