The Epistemological Levels of the Soul in Jainism
One of the important issues of Jainism is the knowledge of the soul considered in the texts of this religion. The more a wayfarer makes efforts for spiritual purification and elimination of spiritual karmic agents, the more the element of spiritual consciousness which includes perception and knowledge is manifested , and he will be able to achieve abilities such as seeing long distances only with the help of the element of knowledge of the soul without the intervention of the senses , read the others’ minds, and know about the past and even future bodies of oneself and others. It should be noted that the ultimate goal of Jainism is to achieve the state of the soul’s complete break from Karmic traps and to reach the level of Moksha; a goal that is manifest in all Jain teachings. The epistemology of the soul for a Jain wayfarer is a part of his endeavor to attain the triple gems of Jainism (right faith right knowledge and right conduct ).