Jaina ethics and meditation: self purification process through karmic cycle

Meditation produces beneficial effects; it even leads to liberation provided it is “pious” and “pure”. For, there are kinds of meditations not to be recommended. The pious meditation has four kinds or ranges since it serves for penetrating (vijaya) into the Jaina commandments and for the outcome of the actions. The characteristics of meditation are purity and renunciation in all external affairs and absence of emotions and confusions; it refers to forbearance, abandonment, humility, and perpetual transformation. In the beginning, the object of meditation may be in transit in leading from the meditation on one object to that of another. In the second consciousness continues to concentrate on one. In the first, little activity is left. In the latter, none at all. The uppermost grades are exclusively for Kevelin, with only vegetative activity like breathing. It is characteristic of the post-canonical view that it introduces physical conditions for the faculty of meditation. Those only who possess a most excellent physique are fit for lasting it out, and even they will do so for the time of one muhurta only. Indeed the two highest grades do not occur any longer since after Jambu's Nirvana-nobody ever again became a Kevalin. This view is not shared by Umasvati since he assigns the different kinds of monks of different moral maturity (Tattavartha Sutra: 9.35) [4].

Further, the meditation must refer to the state of mind proper to the state of Kevelin, but the description offered by Umasvati says nothing about meditation. Yet an indication may be found describing the manifestations of the inner sense and both speech and body at the moment when they have been brought to a standstill.

Just after annihilating the karmas put an end to his earthly life like a burnt seed that is not able to produce a sprout, the soul is free from karmas, and finally, the soul leaves its casing-the karman body.

A special word for sallekhana is necessary at this point which is considered a special kind of Vow in Jainism in some special circumstances. It is also considered the highest stage of meditation in Jaina system.

Penance and Santhara (Sallekhana)

When a layperson or a Jaina monk embraces voluntary death at the end of his life by observing withdrawal of food and drink and spends his last moments in contemplation and meditation, putting aside all worldly attachment and affections, sorrow and fear, such type of death is known as sallekhana, samadhi marana or pandita marana it is a vow -- a final vow. Samthara is considered as 'vrataraja.' It cannot be called suicide as there is no passion in it. The absence of any attachment and passions, confession of mistakes, and forgiveness are all the preconditions for sallekhana or voluntary death. Sallekhana is facing death voluntarily when one is nearing his end. Normal life is not possible due to old age, incurable disease, or severe famine. He observes all the austerities, gradually abandoning food, liquid food, and water, and at last lie down quietly meditating on the self until the soul leaves the body. The main idea behind this Vow is that the self-determines its future, which is liberation. (A detailed discussion is to be found in Samanatabhadra's “Ratna-karanda Sravakacara” who lived in II century A.D.) (See: [8]).

The Acaranga Sutra explains three kinds of sallekhana. The first one is prescribed for a well-controlled monk with no movements of the body, speech, or mind. The second one requires not to move from one's place and check all motions of the body. The third one requires to lie down and concentrate on the true nature of the soul, leaving the body. “Death by sallekhana is the victory of the soul over karma and infirmities of the mind and body. It is an act of fulfilment and a fitting culmination to a life of piety and religion”. [9. P. 254].

One who accepts the Vow of sallekhana should avoid five kinds of aticaras (transgressions) -- a feeling that it would have been better if death comes little later, wishing for a speedy death, how would he bear the pain of death, remembering friends and relatives at the time of death and wishing for a result of penance. If the aticaras are not avoided, the Samthara cannot be granted as complete or successful.

Preksha Dhyana: A Modern Form of Meditation

Preksha Dhyana is a form of meditation for the integrated development of the personality without religious bias. [10] Preksha meanspra - iksa = to see carefully. It is a system of meditation engaging one's mind and body fully in the perception of subtle internal and innate phenomena of consciousness. It is not just the concentration of “thought” but a concentration of “perception”. Knowing and seeing are characteristics of consciousness, but due to contamination of the karmic matter, the fundamental nature is not manifested but by practice and effort, one can develop it. Preksha Dhyana is meant for “concentration of perception and not of thought” [11], but it does not mean that thinking has no role in preksha dhyayana. Whatever is happening in the present is necessarily a reality. The present is the essential reality. One starts with the perception of one's body; the body contains the soul. To reach the soul, we must pierce the wall of the body. Breathing is the essence of life; to breathe is to live. First, breathing and then the body becomes part of the perception; the internal emotions and other realities also become part of the perception.

Furthermore, ultimately, the envelope of karmic matter, contaminated consciousness could be perceived. The other important aspect is that thinking and perceiving cannot coincide. When one thinks, one does not perceive, and when one perceives, one does not think. 'Preksha ' is perception without any like or dislike, attachment or aversion, neither pleasure nor pain. Our senses are simply an instrument of perception, and so is our purely perceptive consciousness. When the 'perception' and 'knowledge' are pure, it does not attract any new karmic matter, nor does he suffers the effect of the old accumulated karmas -- is purely perceptive consciousness.

The purpose of Preksha-dhyana is to purify the mental states that constantly urge emotions and passions that hamper the flow of wisdom. Through various stages of manifestation -- “TaijasaLesya”, “Padma Lesya” and then “Sukla Lesya” purity is reached. The state of well-being or peacefulness is not the ultimate aim of Preksha Dhyana. We need to transcend these mental states to reach the ultimate, total purity of mind and goodness. (Notice it is not liberation or Kevali jyanana)

We can note that the Preksha-dhyana form of meditation developed by Yuvacharya Mahaprajna [11] and Acharya Mahaprajna is a recent form of a spiritual path based on the Jaina Scriptures such as Tattavartha Sutra [4], Acharanga Sutra [12], etc.

My concern in this paper was to explore the hidden or presupposed meditation techniques in the Jaina scriptures and to go deep into its foundation. These meditative practices have been practiced in Jaina tradition for centuries. We also find a difference between the interpretation of scriptures (especially Digambara and Svetambara) regarding meditation and sometimes gets translated into meditation practice. In the Jaina tradition of meditation, it is not easy to separate the spiritual path of liberation from meditation as a practice. As we have discussed before, meditation can be seen as only one aspect of the spiritual path, but in its broader sense, the whole spiritual path suggested in the scriptures can be seen as meditation and nothing else. The fourteen stages suggested in the Scriptures can be considered the stages of meditation, and as we can see, preksha dhyana translates these stages into more acceptable to the laypeople, for a common appeal to people -- a popular and simple form of the spiritual path. Nevertheless, in the end, the purpose or ultimate aim remains the same -- self-purification, through Karmic cycle.

References

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2. Bhagava Dayananda. Jaina Ethics. Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass; 1968.

3. Uttaradhyayana and Sutrakrtanga. Jacobi H, translator. In: Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 45 [Reprinted]. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; 1964.

4. Umasvati/Umaswami. Tattvartha Sutra. Tatia Nathmal, translator. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; 2007.

5. Kundakunda. Samayasara. Jaini JL, translator. Lucknow: Central Jain Publishing House; 1931.

6. Dharmachandvijay J. Sutrakrtanga Sutra. Mahavir Jain Vidyalay; 1978.

7. Jaini Padmanabh S. The Jaina Path of Purification. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; 1981.

8. Williams R. The Jaina Yoga: A Survey of the Mediaeval Sravakacaras. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1962.

9. Chanchreek KL, Mahesh Kumar Jain, editors. Encyclopaedia of Jain Religion. Vol. II. New Delhi: Sree Publishers; 2005.

10. Vishrut Vibha. An Introduction to Preksha Meditation. Rajasthan, Ladnun: Jain Visva-Bharati; 2009.

11. Yuvacharya Mahaprajna. Preksha Dhyana. Kumar MM, Zaveri JS, translators. Rajasthan, Ladnun: Jain Visva-Bharati; 2007.

12. Acaranga Sutra. Jacobi H, translator. In: Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 22 [Reprinted]. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; 1964.

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