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Practice of Brahmavihāra in Theravāda Buddhism
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consciousness is purely and simply conscious of being consciousness of that object. This is the law of existence he says. In the words of W.T. Jones consciousness of objects and consciousness are not different kinds of consciousness. Consciousness is a unique type of existence; every consciousness of an object is also a consciousness of self.'s
A lot of examples have been given regarding the consciousness of self and that of the object awareness at the same time. Such as, while reading novel a careful introspection reveals that no “I” was actually present in my consciousness while I was reading the book. Nevertheless I know that at that time, I was reading. Sartre proves this point with the help of memory as he says: “If for example, I want to remember a certain landscape perceived yesterday from the train, it is possible for me to bring back the memory of that landscape as such. But I can also recollect that I was seeing that landscape In other words I can always perform any recollection whatsoever in the personal mode 1 appears.'
This view of Sartre of our consciousness of our selves as also corresponding the objects is in consonance with the Jaina view of consciousness of objects and the selfin relation thereto. As Hemacandra (12'h century) puts it in his Anyayogavyavacchedikā as:
“Svārthā vabodhakšama eva bodhaḥ prakāśate nārthakathānyātha tu."7
“Knowledge (consciousness) that revealing self is capable revealing others. If it is not self revealing, it cannot illuminate any object”, that is to say consciousness is consciousness of object, only when it is the conscious of the self. Therefore, Sartre's view of consciousness of the object and that of the self goes hand in hand with Jaina view self and other illumination. He further explains in Pramāņa-mimāṁsāthat:
In the introspection ‘I know the jar' and the like, the fact of cognition is as much revealed as content as the elements of subject
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