Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 3-29-2018 Clairvoyance in Jainism: Avadhijñāna in Philosophy, Epistemology and Literature Kuldeep Ashok Kumar Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FIDC006554 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Other Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Ashok Kumar, Kuldeep, "Clairvoyance in Jainism: Avadhijñāna in Philosophy, Epistemology and Literature" (2018). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3700. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3700 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida CLAIRVOYANCE IN JAINISM: AVADHIJÑĀNA IN PHILOSOPHY, EPISTEMOLOGY AND LITERATURE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS In RELIGIOUS STUDIES by Kuldeep Ashok Kumar 2018 To: Dean John F. Stack Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs This thesis, written by Kuldeep Ashok Kumar, and entitled Clairvoyance in Jainism: Avadhijñāna in Philosophy, Epistemology and Literature, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. ______________________________________________ Erik Larson ______________________________________________ Whitney Bauman ______________________________________________ Steven M. Vose, Major Professor Date of Defense: March 29, 2018 This thesis of Kuldeep Ashok Kumar is approved. _____________________________________________ Dean John F. Stack Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs _____________________________________________ Andrés G. Gil Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the University Graduate School Florida International University, 2018 ii © Copyright 2018 Kuldeep Ashok Kumar All rights reserved. iii DEDICATION To my parents, Ashok Kumar and Pushpalatha Bohra, who gave me the thirst for new knowledge and the potential to seek it. Who gave me the ability to trust and hope for an amazing life, and for letting me accept the opportunities and the knowledge to fulfil my dream. And to my sisters, Sadhvi Siddharthaprabhaji and Komal, whose love is the greatest gift of my life and whose commitment, support, and patience are true models for all. To the strong, enthusiastic and kind-hearted Āchārya Mahashramanji, who inspires me to grow and who will always be a continual source of pride and enlightenment. To Jain monks and nuns, for without you and your tireless efforts to create a better world this thesis would never have been even a notion of a thought in my mind. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to extend my deepest and sincerest gratitude to every individual who helped me write my thesis. To Āchārya Mahashramanji, for the blessing and the motivational words which helped me accept the challenge to understand my thesis. To Sadhvi Siddharthaprabhaji, for giving me the advice, guidance, and mental strength to face every struggle when writing this thesis. To Muni Sumermaljiswami, Muni Pulkit, Muni Yogesh, Muni Suvidhi, Muni Rajnish, Sādhvi Vimal Pragya, Sadhvi Pranjalyasha, and all the monks and nuns who guided me in this research. I extend my gratitude to Dr. Surendra Bothra, Dr. Kamalchand Sogani, Dr. Sushma Singhvi, for giving this research a part of their valuable time and wisdom. A very special thanks to Dr. Steven Vose. I cannot imagine where this thesis and I would be without his undying support and belief in my project and myself. He has been more than a guiding light throughout my life in this foreign land. He has been so valuable to this project and has spent hours explaining the theory, philosophy and methods that were so foreign to me. Words cannot describe how he helped me survive the storm and the shape he has provided to my intellect. Time spent on baseball grounds with him were my stress relief sessions. In a nutshell, he was my moral support through thick and thin, making me feel at home away from my homeland. Thank you to my other committee members, Dr. Whitney Bauman and Dr. Erik Larson. They both have truly shown me what excitement and pure interest manifests into. I cannot picture the process of developing this thesis without the entire committee’s dedication, engagement and mentorship. v I am grateful to the Director of my graduate program, Dr. Albert Wuaku. His vibes and his teachings have always motivated me to maintain positivity. I am also grateful to the Religious Studies department at FIU, Dr. Samani Satya Pragya, Dr. Samani Rohini Pragya, Dr. Iqbal Akhtar and all my professors who have contributed to this project directly or indirectly for my academic and personal development in their own unique ways. I wish to thank Rajiv and Latika Jain, whose fellowship funded my studies at FIU. I would like to thank the Jain Education and Research Foundation (JERF), which provided funding for my research in summer 2017. I thank them for recognizing the great potential and contribution of my work to the academic field. I hope and believe the investment made in my research and myself has proven valuable to the world at large. Also, many thanks to all the tutors at the FIU writing center to help me polish my academic language. I would like to thank my friends for their unquestioning love and friendship. Thank you for the ample amounts of much needed comic relief and for serving as my family away from home. Thank you to all my family and friends for providing light, warmth and laughter on this journey. vi ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS CLAIRVOYANCE IN JAINISM: AVADHIJÑĀNA IN PHILOSOPHY, EPISTEMOLOGY AND LITERATURE by Kuldeep Ashok Kumar Florida International University, 2018 Miami, Florida Professor Steven M. Vose, Major Professor This thesis is an analytical study of the place of clairvoyance (avadhijñāna) in Jain epistemology and soteriology. It argues that avadhijñāna occupies an ambivalent position regarding both, since it is not solely attained by means of spiritual progression but may also spontaneously arise regardless of a being’s righteousness (samyaktva). Beginning with a survey of descriptions of avadhijñāna in the canons of each sect, including a translation of Nandisūtra 12-28, it examines how commentaries, philosophy and narrative literature developed and elaborated upon avadhijñāna as part of its epistemological system. Further, it examines the nexus of avadhijñāna and karma theory to understand the role of clairvoyance in the cultivation of the three jewels—correct perception, knowledge, and conduct—that lead to liberation (mokṣa). Finally, several examples of clairvoyants from Jain narratives show how clairvoyance reamined an ambivalent tool for virtuous transformation in popular literature. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 4 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 11 Review of the Literature ............................................................................................... 13 Plan of the Thesis .......................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 1: Avadhijñāna in the Nandisūtra .................................................................. 23 Background, History, and Context of the Nandisūtra ................................................... 24 Structure and Summary of the Nandisūtra .................................................................... 27 Reading the Nandisūtra ................................................................................................. 27 The Ambiguity of Direct Knowledge (Pratyakṣa Jñāna) in the Nandisūtra ................. 28 Translation of Nandisūtra Sūtras 12-28 and Its Analysis ............................................. 31 Analysis of Sūtras 12 and 13 ........................................................................................ 32 Analysis of Sūtra 14 ...................................................................................................... 35 Types of Peripheral (Antagata) Avadhijñāna ............................................................... 37 Scopes of Avadhijñāna ................................................................................................. 40 Discussion of Sūtra on Six Types and Subtypes of Avadhijñāna ................................. 45 Critical Analysis of Avadhijñāna in the Nandisūtra ..................................................... 47 Trailing (Ānugamika) Avadhijñāna and Immobile (Anānugamika) Avadhijñāna ... 47 Augmenting (Vardhamāna) Avadhijñāna and Diminishing (Hīyamāna) Avadhijñāna ................................................................................................................................... 47 Effaceable (Pratīpātī) and Ineffaceable (Apratīpātī) Avadhijñāna ..........................