Bhed Vigyan Mukti Ka Sinhdwar

This document, titled "Bhed Vigyan Mukti ka Sinhdwar" (Discernment: The Lion Gate to Liberation) by Sagarmal Jain, explores the concept of Bhed Vigyan (discernment or discrimination) as the fundamental path to liberation, drawing parallels between Jain, Buddhist, and Vedic (specifically the Bhagavad Gita) philosophies.

The core argument is that bondage arises from identifying the non-self (anatma) as the self (atma). This mistaken identity, this sense of "mine" or "I am," is the root cause of suffering and continued rebirth. The text emphasizes that the true self, the atma, is the source of all knowledge, beyond the limitations of intellect and sensory perception. It is the knower, not the known.

The text begins by highlighting that all Indian philosophical traditions agree on this principle. It references the Upanishads, stating that the sage recognizes the atma as a complex problem because the very act of knowing it as an object would make it "other" than the self. This is why swaroop-bodh (understanding of one's true nature) is essential.

Discernment (Bhed Vigyan) is presented as the method to achieve this self-knowledge. Acharya Amritchandrasuri is quoted saying that all liberated beings attained liberation through discernment, and those bound by karma are so due to its absence. The ultimate purpose of discernment is to know the atma.

The text addresses the paradox of knowing the self: how can the self, the ultimate knower, be known? It explains that ordinary knowledge involves a relationship between the knower and the known (gyata and gyeya). However, in self-knowledge, this duality dissolves. The atma is pure consciousness, where the knower, the knowing, and the known are one. This is described as vyavaharik atmagyan (practical self-knowledge) or paramartha-gyan (ultimate knowledge), which, once attained, leaves nothing more to be known.

The text uses the analogy of trying to see one's own eye with that same eye. The knower cannot be an object of its own knowledge without requiring another knower, leading to an infinite regress. Similarly, fire cannot burn itself, and a dancer cannot stand on their own shoulders.

Since the atma cannot be known through the same kind of objective knowledge as material objects, the Upanishads acknowledge this difficulty. The Kenopanishad states that the atma is beyond the reach of senses, speech, and mind, and its method of knowing remains unknown. However, the text proposes that while the atma itself is not directly knowable in an objective sense, the anatma (non-self) can be known. By understanding the nature of the non-self, one can establish a distinction from it, thereby progressing indirectly towards self-knowledge. This process of distinguishing the self from the non-self is what is called Bhed Vigyan or Atma-Anatma Vivek (discrimination between the self and the non-self).

The text then delves into the application of Bhed Vigyan in different traditions:

1. Jain Tradition:

• Acharya Kundakunda, in 'Samaysar', explains that anything that does not know, like form, color, smell, taste, touch, or even karma and mental states (adhyavasaya), is non-self (anatma). These are all objects of knowledge, and the knowing self (gyatak) is distinct from them.
• When the soul resides in its pure knowing state, all worldly objects, including its own mental states and emotions like attachment, aversion, delusion, anger, pride, deceit, and greed, appear as "other" (para).
• Recognizing "other" as "other" and understanding one's separation from it leads to abiding in the pure knowing self. This is the gateway to liberation, as attachment has no place for one who sees the "other" as "other."
• The process begins by establishing a difference from physical objects, then from mental states and emotions. This is difficult because of the inherent identification with them, but knowledge allows for clear separation.

2. Buddhist Tradition:

• Similar to Jainism, Buddhism considers prajna (wisdom) as crucial for the practice of discerning the non-self (anatma).
• The goal is to abandon the identification of the self with worldly phenomena (dharma) by understanding their nature as non-self.
• The Buddha's teachings are cited, emphasizing that all worldly elements (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches) are impermanent, lead to suffering, are non-self, and therefore not "mine," "I," or "my soul." This understanding leads to detachment (vairagya) and liberation.
• Both Jain and Buddhist traditions emphasize understanding the nature of things and abandoning self-identification with the non-self as essential for liberation.

3. Bhagavad Gita Tradition:

• The Gita's ethical philosophy emphasizes detachment from the results of actions. To achieve this, it also advocates for Bhed Vigyan, termed Kshetra-Kshetrajna Gyan (knowledge of the field and the knower of the field) in the 13th chapter.
• The body and the material world are the "field" (kshetra), and the pure, knowing soul (atma) is the "knower of the field" (kshetrajna). True knowledge is the accurate understanding of this distinction.
• The Gita considers the distinction between the self and the non-self as the cause of bondage. When the soul, residing in the body, identifies with the material world and its three qualities (gunas), it gets caught in the cycle of birth and death.
• The Gita lists various elements that are part of the "field" – the five great elements, the body, ego, intellect, subtle nature, senses, mind, their objects, and emotions like desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, and consciousness. The knowing soul is distinct from all these.
• The text quotes the Gita: "He who knows the reality of the non-self, the gunas, and the pure knowing self, transcends the world even while living in it, and does not incur rebirth."
• The Gita advises cutting through the ignorance of identifying the self with the non-self using the "sword of knowledge," similar to how Acharya Kundakunda speaks of separating the self and non-self with the "chisel of wisdom."

Conclusion: The text concludes by stating that Jainism, Buddhism, and the Gita all emphasize Bhed Vigyan, Anatma Vivek, or Kshetra-Kshetrajna Gyan as the goal of cognitive practice. It is an essential part of achieving Nirvana (liberation). Until the mistaken identification of the self with the non-self is abandoned, attachment will not cease, and liberation cannot be attained. The text quotes the Achārāṅgasūtra: "He who does not cast his gaze elsewhere than on the Self, does not delight elsewhere than in the Self, and he who does not delight elsewhere than in the Self, does not cast his gaze elsewhere than on the Self." The rise of this self-vision is achieved through Bhed Vigyan, and the art of Bhed Vigyan leads to the attainment of Nirvana or the ultimate state.