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JAINISM
of the sense organs and the mind. In contrast to the capacity for clairvoyance, telepathy is limited to human beings. Telepathy is achieveable only after undergoing the prescribed course of rigorous discipline and an arduous process of character-building. The Nandi Sūtra lists the conditions under which telepathy occurs in man:9
(i) the human beings in the karma-bhūmi must have fully developed sense organs and a fully developed personality, i.e., they must be paryāpta; (ii) must possess right attitude, samyagdrsți, and as a consequence they must be free from passion; and (iii) must be self-controlled and they must be possessed of extraordinary powers.
In regard to the fundamentals of telepathy the Jaina philosophers are all agreed but in regard to one point there is no unanimity of views. Umāswāmi maintains that the objects perceived by other minds are known directly in telepathy. The process of change undergone by the mind does not stand in the way of the objective contents being intuited directly. Jinabhadra on the other hand holds the view that the states of the mind-substance are directly intuited but their objective contents are only indirectly perceived. The reason he gives is that the 'contents' of the mind may include material as well as non-material objects. Since it is absurd to think of intuiting the thoughts of others without the medium of the changing states of the mind, it is more logical to hold that the material as well as non-material objects are cognized only indirectly. Probably the earlier (traditional) Jaina conception was that the states (paryāyas) of the mind (manas) are directly perceivable. The term manaḥparyāya was probably literally understood.
Telepathy is considered to be of two kinds: rjumati and vipulamati, 10 The former is considered to represent a lower stage in man's spiritual evolution, and hence as less pure. The latter is considered to last till the dawn of omniscience. Řjumati is believed to be effective in knowing the thoughts of beings that are situated within the range: four to eight krośas to four to eight yojanas. The
8 Višeşāvašvaka-bhāşya, 669, 814 9 Nandi-Sütra, 39 & 40
10 The latter is considered to be purer (viśuddhatara) than the former ; and while the former might cease (pratipatati), the latter cannot. (na pratipatati) - Tattvārtha-Sūtra, I. 24 & 25
See also Sthänānga-Sutra, 72
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