________________
Degrees of Reality in Jainism, Budhim and Vedanta
199
or illusory (parikalpita) and another is dependent, real for all practical purposes. The word parikalpita itself indicates that it is merely imagined truth and has no intrinsic existence of its own. It is illusory or utterly unreal even at the phenomenal level.40 It is purely mental creation and thus absolutely unreal.41 Paratantra is dependent on causality. It is a false thaught creation about the subject object duality. It is imagination of non existent phenomenal world on pure consciousness. It applies to the phenomenal world of subject-object duality.42 Parinişpanna is well established truth (paritaḥ nispannah). It is paramārtha satya which is equated with the absolute. It is non-dual, beyond speech and indescribable by verbalizing mind.43 The highest state which transcends opposites in which existence and son-existence, the positives and negatives are one and the same, is called parinis pannaa 44 This is the only existent (sat) rality and except for this nothing exists in realty.45 parikalpita and paratantra are relatad to worldly things, while parinişpanna is related to the highest truth Nirvana, where all Klešas and imaginations cease to exist 46
Lankāvatāra stūra, one of the authoritiative works on Vijñātavāda, also refers to these three kinds of truth by stating that parikalpita is purely imaginary like the hare's horn or a sky flower or dream etc. and paratantra is relative, depends on causes and conditions and comes uoder the realm of phenomenal aod parinişpanna is the paramärtha satja (highe. st trutb), absolutely real, which transcends subject-object duality and is purely based on spiritual experience.47
Vagubandhu, known as the second Buddha' or 'Pratibuddha', 48 also follows Asanga's line of thought. Parikalpita is purely imagination of the intellect, thus it does not exist in reality.49 Paratantra is dependent, relative, it arises out of causes and conditions. Whatever is caused and conditioned is not ultimately real. 50 Parinispanna is the only truth, it exists independantly by itself. It is beyond the subject-object duality, non-conceptual consciousness, 51 It is pure, undefiled Existence, it is beyond finite thought; it is the Good, it is the Eteroal, Blissful, it is Liberation, it is the Buddha's body of pure-Existence. It transcends the categories of thou. ght as well as the pluraity of the phenomenal world.52
Advaitic View :
Sankara, the chief exponent of Advaita philosophy has introduced this distinction between transcendental (Pāramārthika) and empirical (vyävahärika) orders of reality a with certain purposes,
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
