3.2. Perception according to 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补

A comparative study between Buddhism and Nyaya

by Roberta Pamio | 2021 | 71,952 words

This page relates 鈥楶erception according to Vishvanatha鈥� of the study on perception in the context of Buddhism compared to Nyaya (a system of Hindu philosophy). These pages researches the facts and arguments about the Buddhist theory of perception and its concerned doctrines while investigating the history of Buddhist epistemology (the nature of knowledge). The Nyaya school (also dealing with epistemology) considers 鈥榲alid knowledge鈥� the means for attaining the ultimate goal of life (i.e., liberation).

Go directly to: Footnotes.

3.2. Perception according to 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补

< Previous

Next >

[Full title: 2. The Navya-Naiy膩yika Theory of Perception鈥擯erception according to 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补]

The scholar of Navya-Naiy膩yika, 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补 defines perception as:

鈥淭he cognition which is not produced through the instrumentally of another cognition.鈥�^[1]

It is direct as well as immediate cognition. He maintains that it is called 箩帽腻苍腻办补谤补峁嘺办补箩帽腻苍补 because it does not depend on other knowledge. This new epithet has been inserted by the Navya-Naiy膩yikas so that God鈥檚 perception may also include in the domain of perception.^[2] 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补鈥檚 definition like 骋补峁単别艣补 is applicable to both human and divine perception. It does not include inferential knowledge, analogical knowledge, memory and verbal knowledge. Inferential knowledge is generated by the help of universal concomitance. Analogical knowledge is generated by the help of knowledge of similarity, verbal knowledge is generated by the help of knowledge of words, and memory is generated by the help of previous experience (anubhava).^[3]

Here, one may argued about the inclusion of the words 鈥渟ense-organ (indriya)鈥�, 鈥渃ontact (蝉补苍苍颈办补谤峁)鈥� and 鈥渙bject (artha)鈥�. In the physiological sense, the Sanskrit word indriya does not mean sense-organ. For 痴颈艣惫补苍腻迟丑补, the union of indriya with manas which is an attribute inheres in the sense-organ as well as in the mind. Hence indriya is the substratum of that conjunction which is one condition of perception. Again, it is not the substratum (补苍腻艣谤补测补) of manifest specific quality other than sound. The first part of the definition (i.e. not being the locus of the manifest specific quality other than sound-艣abdetarobh奴ta vi艣e峁gu峁嚹乶膩艣rayatve sati) has been given so that self or 腻迟尘补苍 does not come under sense-organ. However, soul is the place of the contact of the mind, the cause of knowledge, it is the place of the manifest specific quality other than sound. So the definition of sense-organ does not unduly extend to self. The definition of sense organ is not applicable to the ear because it is the place of sound, which is the manifest specific quality. So, the epithet 鈥渙ther than sound鈥� (艣补产诲别迟补谤补) has been added in the definition. The particular qualities like colour etc. is already there in the eye etc, the definition of sense-organ is not applicable to them and thus the word 鈥渕anifest鈥� (耻诲产丑奴迟补) has been included in the definition.

The sense-organs are divided into two categories: external and internal. The external sense-organs are five in numbers and the internal sense-organ is one in number. The perception generated by external sense-organs is called olfactory (驳丑谤腻峁嘺箩补), the gustatory (谤腻蝉补苍补), the visual (肠腻办峁峁), the cutaneous (蝉辫腻谤艣补苍补) and the auditory (艣谤补耻迟谤补) organs. Perception generated by internal sense-organ is called manasa. Every sense-organ has a specific object of its own. For instance: the work of olfactory senseorgan is to get smell which is the object of this sense-organ etc.^[4]