Book Title: Jainism a Theistic Philosophy
Author(s): Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Page 309
________________ JAINA VIEW OF MOKȘA COMPARED WITH..... 293 Unlike Sāṁkhya-Yoga, the self in Vedānta of Samkara is not only conscious but also possesses blissful consciousness. Also unlike Pūrva-Mīmāṁsā moksa in Advaita Vedānta is not only destruction of individual's relation with the world but dissolution of the world itself (Prapañca-vilaya). According to Bhagavadgītā, status of soul is that of different fragments or sparks of God; hence mokṣa must be the unity with Purusottma (God) - indeed a blissful state. In Upanisads, as in the Advaita Vedānta, the realization of oneness with God is the ideal of man, which is a state of ecstasy and rapture, a joyous expansion of soul. The Buddhist refers to the conception of mokșa as nirvāṇa, an absolute cessation from misery. There is nothing real. Everything is momentary. There is no ātman as permanent principle and nirvāņa is a state of freedom from misery, in fact freedom from everything. Nirvāṇa is the most important conception in the Buddhist philosophy. Prof. T.R.V. Murthy says that the history of Buddhist philosophy is the history of the conception of nirvāņa.“ Several philosophers like Rhys Davids, Thomas, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and others maintain that the state of nirvāṇa does not represent the denial of the self or personality. It is the highest state of moral perfection and it is full of bliss. The Buddha said that nirvāņa is freedom from misery and it is different from adjunct of empirical personality. The Buddha does not deny that the highest state of perfection expresses bliss. He was only silent about it. Nāgasena has given the interpretation of nirvāṇa as positive in content during the discussion with king Milindaregarding the question whether nirvāṇa is absolute cessation or destruction of ātman. In this sense, the Buddhist conception of nirvāna is different from Nyāya-Vaiseșika conception of mokṣa as a state in which there is no consciousness. "Dr. Ramjee Singh, “Jaina Perspective in philosophy and religion", p-135 - History of philosophy, Eastern and Western, vol.1, P-212 2 Samyuttanikāya, Kematheri- sutta, Jain Education International For Personal & Private Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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