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REAPPRAISAL OF DOCTRINE OF DEGREES OF REALITY IN JAINISM, BUDDHISM AND VEDĀNTA
Y. S. Shastri
The doctrine of degrees or orders of Reality is one of the most important problems in the history of world thought. The distinction between the transcendental and empirical, Noumenal and Phenomenal truths is so vital that it has always been maintained in some form or other by all the great philosophical thinkers of the world. We find, in the east, these two distinctions in the early Upanişads, Jainism, Buddhism and also in Advaita Vedanta; so in the west in the writings of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel and F. H. Bradley. 1
The Upanișadic two paths-freyas and preyas (Good and pleasurable), Para and Apara-Vidya (higher and lower knowledge), Amūrta and Mürta Brahman (Brahman-formless and having form), Jainas, Paramärtha and Vyavahāra or Niścayana ya and Vyavahäranaya; Paramārtha and Sanvrti of the Madhyamikas, Parinişpanna and Paratantra of the Vijñānavādins, Päramärthika and Vyāvahärika of Advaita Vedantins etc. stand for these two, transcendental and empirical orders of Reality.
Upanişadic View :
Upànişads are termed as Himālayas of Indian Philosophy. Just as different rivers, which having their origin in the Himalayas, flow in different directions, Similarly all the schools of Indian thought have their roots in and are influenced by Upanişadic Philosophy. The seeds of almost all tho systems of Indian philosophy are to be found in the early Upanişads. The distinction between, empirical and transcendental orders of Reality, adopted by later thinkers of Jainism, Buddhism and Advaita Vedänta, is to be found in the early Upanişads.
Katha Upanişad teaches us that there are two paths opened to a person, freyas and preyas (good and pleasurable), Wise men choose the path of Good which leads to the supreme self. The path of pleasure is related
Somebodhi XI-25
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