Book Title: Nyaya And Jaina Epistemology
Author(s): Kokila H Shah
Publisher: Sharadaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Previous | Next

Page 58
________________ COMMON SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE.... 41 Therefore, the basis of present perception is past knowledge. Illusions are explained by Nyaya with the help of this kind of perception. Error is the case of wrong synthesis of two reals. 3. Intuitive perception-Yogaja This is immediate peception belonging to yogins alone who by their super-normal powers can have the perception of all objects, past, present and future, which are ordinarily imperceptible to others. The possibility of this kind of intuitive perception is accepted by almost all the systems of Indian philosophy. It may be compared with kevalajñāna of the Jainas, bodhi of the Buddhists, the kaivalya of Sankhyas and sākṣātkāra of the Vedāntins. Though Nyāya view of yogaja can be said to be analogous to Jaina view of omniscience, the fundamental and essential difference between the two must be recognized. It is the Jaina view that this kind of perception cannot be through sense organ or mind and even meditation cannot produce omniscience until karmic veil which obstructs right knowledge is destroyed. It is direct knowledge by soul in Jainism. Generally, the kind of perception recognized by Nyāya as yogaja is not regarded absurd. Even psychology accepts some such form of perception. However, it is criticized that "The Nyāya is a philosophy of realism and to assign perceptuality to such a subtle and extrasensory form of knowledge is not consistent with its pronounced principles. The yogaja perception does not require the help of the senses. So, by accepting it the Nyaya drifts from realism to subjective Idealism."4 This criticism seems to be based on misunderstanding of the nature of reality and knowledge. It is also based on the

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248