Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楾he Practice of Meditation on Liberated Souls (Siddhas)鈥� of study dealing with Preksha-Dhyana: a meditation technique created by Acharya Shri Mahapragya (Acarya Mahaprajna) in the late twentieth century. It synthesizes ancient Jain ascetic methods, ritualistic practices, and modern scientific insights, appealing to a global audience. The thesis explores its historical context, theoretical foundations, and the rise of contemporary Jain meditation systems.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
3.1.3. The Practice of Meditation on Liberated Souls (Siddhas)
[Full title: Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 Meditation (1) 叠补岣嵞�-顿丑测腻苍补 (Long Meditation) (3) The Practice of Meditation on Liberated Souls (Siddhas)]
Meditation on liberated souls is a traditional feature of Jaina practice for its soterological purpose. Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 meditation on siddha has its presence in earlier texts like 峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘 (峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘a, 13.5.4.29-31)[1], 顿谤补惫测补蝉补峁僩谤补丑补 (顿谤补惫测补-蝉补峁僩谤补丑补, 51) of Nemicandra. 峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘 noting the siddha as the focus of meditation describes their qualities. 顿谤补惫测补蝉补峁僩谤补丑补 states, 鈥楬e [siddha] has destroyed the eight karmas and the body, he is knower (and) perceiver of the world and the non-world. He has a human form, his soul is perfect. He abides at the top of the world. Meditate (upon him) (Dravya-蝉补峁僩谤补丑补, 51, tr. Balbir). He discusses it at length referring to the eight qualities of the siddha.
He writes:
This liberated soul (siddha) is free of birth, illness, death, grief, disease, sorrow, poverty, karma, doubt etc., with eight attributes present. He is always merged in the infinite happiness of the soul. He is free from the sticky black muddied world and the ocean of great affliction. On the liberated soul (siddha), meditate consciously with a focused and steady mind.[2]
This focus of meditation is to realise that one鈥檚 own true nature is similar to that of the siddhas: it is a kind of meditation on the sameness (迟腻诲腻迟尘测补) of the ordinary soul and the enlightened one. The theory underlying this practice is that, due to the impurity caused by attachment of karmic particles to the pure soul, its real nature has become obscured under the worldly conditions generated by karma. The pure soul, in this case, can be recognised by meditation on its true nature, represented by the liberated souls of the siddhas. The practice which leads to this realisation is meditation on the fact that attachment, aversion, passions and the influx of karmas, are 鈥榥ot mine鈥�, that I am separate from them and consist of infinite knowledge, perception, conduct, spiritual energy, that I am the pure, enlightened, and everlasting soul.
The qualities of the soul to be meditated on as truly mine are:
My soul is; 1. immutable (a-jara), 2. beginning-less (补苍-腻诲颈), 3. infinite (an-anta), 4. imperishable (a-khaya), 5. immovable (a-cala), 6. entire (a-kala), 7. sinless (amala), 8. inaccessible (a-gama), 9. nameless (补-苍补产丑墨), 10. formless (a-谤奴辫墨), 11. karma-less (a-karma), 12. bondage-free (补-产补峁卍丑补办补), 13. in an unrising state of karma (an-udaya), 14. karmas that cannot be brought forward (补苍-耻诲墨谤补办补), 15. free from three-fold activities of mind, body and speech (a-测辞驳墨), 16. free from sensual enjoyment (a-产丑辞驳墨), 17. disease-less (a-谤辞驳墨), 18. un-pierceable (补-产丑别诲墨), 19. devoid of sexual feelings (补-惫别诲墨), 20. un-breakable (补-肠丑别诲墨), 21. devoid of sorrow (补-办丑别诲墨), 22. passionless (补-办补峁Ｄ乱墨) 23. beyond colouring (补-濒别蝉墨), 24. bodiless (补-艣补谤墨谤墨), 25. devoid of speech (补-产丑腻峁Ｄ�), 26. the state of not consuming (补苍-腻丑腻谤墨), 27. free from obstruction (补-惫测腻产腻诲丑补), 28. always stable (agurulaghu), 29. beyond the senses (补苍-颈峁卍谤墨), 30. devoid of vital force (补-辫谤腻峁嚹�)[3], 31. free from birth (补-测辞苍墨), 32. liberated soul (补-蝉补峁僺腻谤墨), 33. immortal (a-mara), 34. alone (a-para), 35. succession-less (补-辫补谤补峁僷补谤补), 36. non-pervasive (补惫测腻辫墨), 37. independent (补-苍腻艣谤颈迟补), 38. un-shakeable (补-办补峁僷补) 39. free (aviruddha), 40. devoid of karmic influx (补苍-腻艣谤补惫补), 41. invisible (a-lakha), 42. sorrowless (补-艣辞办补), 43. being in detachment (a-蝉补峁単墨), 44. shapeless (补苍-腻办补谤补), 45. knower of cosmic and super cosmic space (濒辞办腻濒辞办补箩帽腻测补办补), 46. pure (sudha).[4] [5]
The source of this negation form of description can be found in the texts like 膧肠腻谤腻峁単补 (膧肠腻谤腻峁単补-蝉奴迟谤补, 5.6.123-140)[6], 峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘a (峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘a, 13.5.4.31)[7], Samayas膩ra (Samayas膩ra, 1.49)[8]. The meditation on such extended fourty-five qualities of the pure soul presents the 苍颈艣补肠补测补 naya, which is aligned with Kundakunda鈥檚 approach. Kundakunda says, 鈥楬e who perceives the soul as not bound, not touched, not other than itself; steady without any difference and not-combined, know him as the ni艣caya naya or pure point of view鈥� (Samayas膩ra, 1.14).[9]
The practitioner should not therefore attach himself to sensory objects which are of the nature of karmic particles (matter); for pure, intelligent and blissful nature is completely different from them. In this way, one must think of the difference between the nature of the soul and matter in meditation by considering that one鈥檚 soul is like that of a siddha, but is suffering because of karmas. The eight qualities of the soul are obscured by the eight karmas, the source of pain and pleasure for all worldly beings. Therefore one should neither become attached to such pleasures nor be tormented by such pains. Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 process of meditation is analytical (vicaya), and a meditator discriminates himself from the physical, karmic existence. It is a process to connect with the pure self.
The assimilation of the true qualities of the soul, as what one really is, is meant here to displace the obscured understanding of the soul of the practitioner. Repetition of the true qualities of the soul is meant to achieve both insight and understanding of one鈥檚 real nature by ostensibly cutting-through and displacing erroneous notions of the soul, i.e., of oneself that have been cultivated in this life on the basis of one鈥檚 basic karmic predilections. Practice, mental, verbal and bodily, is a means of practical understanding of oneself, which when performed incessantly and intensely can mentally and finally 鈥榗utthrough鈥� and achieve the separation (bheda) of soul and body.
As the terminology designating the liberated soul used by Jay膩c膩rya is found in Jaina texts like the 膧肠腻谤腻峁単补 and the 峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘a, this indicates that he did not 鈥榠nvent鈥� the content, nor the methods of meditation, but, at best, elaborated the received paradigms. His innovativeness of, recontextualising the 鈥渢extual content鈥� for a meditational purpose, thus rendered a 鈥渘ew structured content鈥� for traditional analytical meditations (惫颈肠补测补-诲丑测腻苍补) that had only survived through their names, is his contribution.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
Jay膩c膩rya, (n.d./1997a: 82, Prayoga-3) te sidha bagav膩na janama, 箩补谤腻, 尘补谤补峁嘺, soga, roga, 诲耻岣丑补, d膩lidra, karma, bharma rahita chai, 膩峁環a 驳耻峁嚹� sahita chai | te 补苍补峁卼补 膩tmika 蝉耻办丑腻峁� 尘别峁� 蝉补诲腻 lahal墨na chai | kalakal墨bh奴ta 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 mah膩kalesa no 蝉腻驳补谤补, te thak墨 ch奴峁� chai | te siddha bhagav膩na no dhy膩na ek膩gra cita mana thira r膩khanai kara峁噊 |
[4]:
Jay膩c膩rya, (n.d./1997a: 82, Prayoga-3) 1. ajara 2. 补苍腻诲颈 3. 补苍补峁卼补 4. akhaya 5. acala 6. akala 7. amala 8.agama 9. 补苍补产丑墨 10. a谤奴辫墨 11. akarma 12. aba峁卍haka 13. anudaya 14. 补苍耻诲墨谤补办补 15. a测辞驳墨 16. a产丑辞驳墨 17. a谤辞驳墨 18. 补产丑别诲墨 19. 补惫别诲墨 20. 补肠丑别诲墨 21. 补办丑别诲墨 22. 补办补峁Ｄ乱墨 23. 补濒别蝉墨 24. 补蝉补谤墨谤墨 25. 补产丑腻蝉墨 26. 补苍腻丑腻谤墨 27. 补惫测腻产腻诲丑补 28. agurulaghu 29. 补苍别峁卍谤墨 30. a辫谤腻峁嚹� 31. 补测辞苍墨 32. 补蝉补峁僺腻谤墨 33. amara 34. apara 35. aparampara 36. 补惫测腻辫墨 37. 补苍腻艣谤颈迟补 38. akampa 39. avirudha 40. 补苍腻艣谤补惫补 41. alakha 42. asoka 43. a蝉补峁単墨
[6]:
[7]:
峁峁璳丑补峁囜笉腻驳补尘a, 5.4.31 akas膩yamavedatta峁� ak膩rayatta峁� videhad膩 ceva, acalattamalepatta峁� ca ho峁卼i acca峁僼iy膩i峁� se.
[8]: