Panoramic View Of Jainism

Author(s): Ratankumar Jain
Publisher: Ratankumar Jain

Page 13

Omniscience (keval jnana) or absolute knowledge As distinguished from other systems which consider senseperception as direct knowledge, Jains define direct knowledge as the perception by the soul without any intermediary. Accordingly, the first two kinds of knowledge are considered as indirect (paroksha) by Jain thinkers since they are acquired through sense organs or books. The last three kinds ofknowledge are immediate (pratyaksha) or direct knowledge.
Clairvoyance enables a person to have visions of objects and events in distant places or in distant times. This capacity may be acquired through psychological development. Telepathy is the ability to know the ideas and thoughts of others. It is the insight to the psychological events taking place in others' minds. It is said to be acquired through rigorous discipline and concentration. The absolute knowledge or omniscience is attained by complete self-realization and by getting rid
of perception-obscuring, knowledge-obscuring, deluding and obstructing karmas. Omniscience is coextensive with reality. There is no difference of time such as past, present and future in the case ofomniscience since it is able to comprehend reality in itscompleteness. According to Jain thinkers, the object of knowledge is not a creation of mind, rather the knowledge and the object ofknowledge are distinct from each other. Jains maintain the view that the physical object in the external world is independent of knowledge and cannot be created or changed by the knowing mind. The object of knowledge may also be psychological facts.(6)6 3.7 JAIN ETHICS - PATH TO SALVATION (MOKSHA MARG) The keynote of Jainism rings withreligious tolerance, ethical purity, spiritual contentment, harmony between self and one's environment. Its central theme is not based on a theoretical science. Rather, it considers religion as a science of ethical practice. It conceives the human body not as a toy-machine to play with, but as a chariot on which the soul rides towards salvation. In the scheme of Jain system, life on earth is not merelysorrowful. It is on probation to conduct itself to successively higher and higher forms of existence. The conduct of thepresent life should be aimed at the attainment of a permanent state of being from which there is no return. Every soul can attain godhood, i.e., supreme spiritual individuality byrealizing its intrinsic purity and perfection. In his conduct, an individual can be guided by the examples of five benevolent personalities (panchparameshthi). These are:
Supreme human beings (arahantas) pure souls (siddhas) master teachers (acharyas) scholarly monks (upadhyayas)
ascetics (sadhus) Aranantas are persons who have destroyed four types of karmas, mentioned above, and have attained omniscience. Siddhas are souls that are completely free from karmic bondage and have attained salvation.
66. The knowledge related to psychological facts is practically the relation between the thought process and physical events which are identical in nature with the process of knowing. Even here the facts in consciousness revealed by knowledge are considered independent of the process of knowing, otherwise the knowledge so obtained will become illusory and unreal. Knowledge is self-luminous in as much as it reveals itself just as it illuminates the external objects.