Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pravacanasāra : Essence of the Doctrine: Essence of the Doctrine

By Jain, Vijay, K

Book Id: WPLBN0100003029
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 4.08 MB
Reproduction Date: 5/22/2018

Title:	Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pravacanasāra : Essence of the Doctrine: Essence of the Doctrine
Author:	Jain, Vijay, K
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Non Fiction, Religion, Jainism, Epistemology
Collections:	Authors Community, Religion
Historic Publication Date:	2018
Publisher:	Vikalp Printers

Member Page:	Vijay K. Jain
Citation APA MLA Chicago K Jain, B. V., & Jain, V. K. (2018). Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pravacanasāra : Essence of the Doctrine. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
The book is a masterpiece work on Jainism, the most profound religion in South Asia. In its three sections, it discusses the ideas of knowledge, objects-of-knowledge and the conduct required to attain perfect knowledge, i.e., omniscience.

Summary
Ācārya Kundakunda’s (circa 1st century BCE) Pravacanasāra is among the most popular Jaina Scriptures that are studied with great reverence by the ascetics as well as the laymen. Consciousness manifests in form of cognition (upayoga) – pure-cognition (śuddhopayoga), auspicious-cognition (śubhopayoga) and inauspicious-cognition (aśubhopayoga). Pure-cognition represents conduct without-attachment (vītarāga cāritra). Perfect knowledge or omniscience (kevalajñāna) is the fruit of pure-cognition (śuddhopayoga). The soul engaged in pure-cognition (śuddhopayoga) enjoys supreme happiness engendered by the soul itself; this happiness is beyond the five senses – atīndriya – unparalleled, infinite, and imperishable. Omniscience (kevalajñāna) is real happiness; there is no difference between knowledge and happiness. Delusion (moha), the contrary and ignorant view of the soul about substances, is the cause of misery. The soul with attachment (rāga) toward the external objects makes bonds with karmas and the soul without attachment toward the external objects frees itself from the bonds of karmas. The stainless soul knows the reality of substances, renounces external and internal attachments (parigraha) and does not indulge in the objects-of-the-senses.

Excerpt
The man who, having grasped the Words of the Omniscient Lord, destroys delusion (moha), attachment (rāga), and aversion (dvesa), gets rid of all miseries, in a short time. - page 103

Table of Contents
1. Reality of Knowledge 2. Reality of Objects-of-knowledge 3. Reality of Conduct