Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楳editation on the Results of Karma (vipaka)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.
3.1.4. Meditation on the Results of Karma (惫颈辫腻办补)
[Full title: Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 Meditation (1) 叠补岣嵞�-顿丑测腻苍补 (Long Meditation) (4) Meditation on the Results of Karma (惫颈辫腻办补)]
The aim of karma 惫颈辫腻办补 meditation by Jay膩c膩rya is to gain an understanding, by meditative concentration on the role of karma in our lives, since, according to Jaina doctrine; it is due to karmic accumulation (腻艣谤补惫补) that the soul has an embodied existence. For this reason, the characteristic features of karmic bondage (bandha)[1], such as the type of bondage of karmic matter (辫谤补办峁泃颈-产补苍诲丑补) to the soul, the duration of bondage of karma (sthiti-bandha), the intensity of bondage of karma (补苍耻产丑腻驳补-产补苍诲丑补) and mass of material particles assimilated (辫谤补诲别艣补-产补苍诲丑补) to the soul, are focused on in meditation, to gain an understanding of the inexorable suffering of the soul in the cycle of rebirth, in particular, the suffering of one-sensed beings, the nigodas.[2]
The nature and structure of karma and its consequences are detailed by Jay膩c膩rya in karma 惫颈辫腻办补 meditation to gain insight into the elimination of accumulated karma in the following way. He begins the text by classifying the different characteristics of karma that are to be annihilated by the practice of meditation. He then goes on to discuss the suffering of nigoda, which Jaina doctrine posits as the least developed type of living being, having the shortest life span, in contrast to other life forms. It has no opportunity to take part in religiosity and to improve its capacity to be liberated. These descriptions drawn from the commentary of Praj帽膩pa苍腻 by Malagiri (惫峁泃迟颈 patra 39-40) are to bring awareness towards the Jaina belief of the infinitely long journey one has gone through in such a miniscule form.
He then moves to a critique firstly of human beings devoid of mental faculty (补蝉补峁僯帽颈) who accumulate heavy karma and, secondly, of the physiology of the human body, especially during a woman鈥檚 pregnancy. This attempts to draw the attention to the description from 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补, which says 鈥�birth is misery鈥� (鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补1, 19.15)[3].
The horrific image he portrays of these states may not be acceptable to all modern meditators, who may seek a more positive visualisation of these conditions during their practice (a need which has been addressed in 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, see chapter 4). Finally, he details the requirements for reaching the internal joy of liberation and ridding oneself of karmic bondage that is to be achieved by living an ascetic life. Some of the key practices he details are summarised below.
He explicates the Jaina philosophy of rebirth in different subtle forms of life. He conveys the embodiment of the soul in countless types of living being and hence suffering it encounters as follows:
鈥淵ou remained in the earth, water, fire and wind for innumerable eras of time. For infinite time cycles you have been dying, dying over, and being reborn. You have experienced immense lacerations, piercing and great pain. As two sensed, three sensed, four sensed and five sensed creatures, those with a thinking mind, those without the power to think, you have had many lifespan experiences. That鈥檚 why you have borne/suffered lacerations, piercing, fire bearing weapons causing pain, greatly terrifying, extreme pain/sorrow.鈥�[4]
This description drawn from 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补 (鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补1) 10.5-13[5] is attempting to unveil the philosophical concept of life cycles where Jains believe one has gone through innumerable births in the primitive form before reaching to this developed form.
This is buttressed with a description of past embodiments in regions of hell:
鈥淥h Soul, in hell you spent a lifespan of thirty-three ocean measured periods (蝉腻驳补谤辞辫补尘补)[6] and till then you experienced the pain of the place, created by the demonic demigods, fighting amongst with weapons, ill health, eternal hunger, inexhaustible thirst, infinite cold, interminable heat, everlasting itching, and in your dependence innumerable times you have experienced great sharp pain, the sorrow caused by 惫补颈迟补谤补峁嚹�,[7] the river of hell, and the suffering and pain[8] from, sharper than a sword, like leaves of the Semul (艣腻濒尘补濒颈)[9] tree.鈥�[10]
The textual details found in S奴trak峁泃膩峁単a-蝉奴迟谤补 (S奴trak峁泃膩峁単a-蝉奴迟谤补1, 5.8) like river of hell etc. elucidate the karmic consequence as rebirth in hells, which further leads to more bondage. These are described at length with sharp emphasis on the inexorable operation of karmic consequence even for a being destined to become a 迟墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补, and such consequences can only be avoided by a strict vigilance that avoids karmic influx.
An exposition of human life is set out by Jay膩c膩rya detailing the horrors of embryonic existence on one hand, but on the other hand also highlighting the significance of a human birth, which the disciple is instructed not to waste but to use for the renunciation of the body and its illusionary pleasures, described as being inherently base, by turning to asceticism. Meditation on the relentless suffering that karmic accumulation inflicts on the soul, and the types of behaviour that are associated with each form of embodied suffering, is thus detailed.
He uses anecdotes, to serve as an easy simple source for contemplation. He draws on historical examples (Jay膩c膩rya, 1997: 88) from textual sources such as the Brahmadatta 颁补办谤补惫补谤迟墨 narrative from 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补 (鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补1) 13, K膩likum膩ra from 狈颈谤补测腻惫补濒颈办腻 (狈颈谤补测腻惫补濒颈办腻, 1.25)[11] who ends up in hell because of his lavish sinful life and the Dhana 碍耻尘腻谤补 narrative from the 础苍耻迟迟补谤辞辫补辫腻迟颈办补诲补艣腻 (AupD, 3.1-62)[12] who is reborn in 厂补谤惫腻谤迟丑补蝉颈诲诲丑颈 devaloka after ascetic practice.
Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 horrifying illustrations are fearful, and this seems to contradict the modern approach of meditation but he eventually reinforces the good examples like Dhana who is reborn in heaven on accord of his good deeds. He thus seems to be trying to convey the philosophy of self-responsibility for ones own life. These anecdotes drawn from scriptures present the descriptive details of action and its consequence, hence rendering philosophical concepts for contemplation, again from the scriptures. These verses from 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补 (鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补1, 20.36-37)[13] present that the source of hellish pain and heavenly pleasure is within oneself. Though he starts with tough lessons, he ends gently as his approach is like storytelling which ends with a moral to take away.
His approach could seem to generate a shock and awareness which can serve as a trigger, to ignite an intense aspiration in the practitioner to rid himself of karma by gaining an understanding of the behaviour and practices that lead to, and manifest in, each type of embodiment, and by contrast, the types of conduct and practices that avoid such suffering. Overall, it is an attempt to imprint the Jaina philosophy at the subtle level through meditation, which eventually could serve to be transformative inspiring the meditator to change his or her accord of life.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补-蝉奴迟谤补1, 8.4, 辫谤补办峁泃颈-sthiti-补苍耻产丑腻惫补-prade艣膩s tadvidhaya岣�.
[2]:
The concept of nigoda (a single one-sensed body) is described as follows by Jay膩c膩rya: 鈥淭here are innumerable numbers of nigoda present even within a minute needle point. Each category has uncountable, ultimate indivisible and detachable parts of the substance (辫谤补诲别艣补). Further, each category consists of uncountable layers (pratara). Each layer has uncountable rounds (驳辞濒腻). Each round has uncountable bodies. Each body has infinite living beings. These beings have the shortest life span. Oh being! You have taken 65536 times birth in a 尘耻丑奴谤迟补 (48 minutes) and having undergone the extreme pain of space and existence, borne the extreme suffering of birth and death for infinite times and even then you have not become vigilant until now.鈥�
[4]:
Jay膩c膩rya, (n.d./1997a: 83, Prayoga-4) 惫补濒墨 辫峁泃丑补惫墨, 辫腻峁嚹�, teu, v膩奴 me峁� asa峁卥hy膩to 办腻濒补 rahyo | asa峁卥hyta 办腻濒补cakra t膩峁卛 tih膩峁卝a 尘补谤墨-尘补谤墨 奴pano | gha峁嚹� chedana-bhedana 尘补丑腻 veda苍腻 bhogav墨 | 惫补濒墨 be峁卍r墨, te峁卍r墨, caure峁卍r墨, pa帽ce峁卍r墨, 蝉补苍苍墨 a蝉补苍苍墨 m膩峁卙ai aneka 产丑补惫腻峁� bhamyo | ty膩峁� chedana-bhedana ag苍腻dika sastra n墨 veda苍腻 mh膩vikar膩la atya峁卼a 诲耻岣丑补 sahy膩 |
[5]:
[6]:
[8]:
The text continues: 鈥�颁补办谤补惫补谤迟墨 Brahmadatta (universal monarch) took 28,523,880,000 breaths in seventh hell, a lifespan of thirty-three ocean measured periods (蝉腻驳补谤辞辫补尘补). He had bound himself with heavy karmas because of his obsession with worldly enjoyment. Therefore, for each and every breath鈥檚 enjoyment he received beatings for over 1,156,925 (palyopama) a time-unit of innumerable years to get rid of the karmas that had stuck with him because of one breath鈥檚 enjoyment of cakravarti-濒颈蹿别.鈥�
[10]:
Jay膩c膩rya, (n.d./1997a: 83, Prayoga-4) re 箩墨惫补! 惫补濒墨 naraka 尘腻丑补颈 蝉腻驳补谤腻 苍腻 膩ukh膩 paryanta khetraveda苍腻, parm膩dh膩m墨 n墨 k墨dh墨 veda苍腻, 膩pasa me峁� sastr膩dika n墨 as膩t膩, ana峁卼a bh奴kha, ana峁卼a tira峁Ｄ�, ana峁卼a 蝉墨迟补, ana峁卼a 迟腻辫补, ana峁卼a 办丑腻箩补 paravasapa峁嘺i 尘补丑腻 tr墨vra 辫墨岣嵞�, 惫补颈迟补谤补峁嚹� 苍腻 诲耻岣丑补 迟补谤补惫腻谤补 迟丑墨 辫颈峁嘺 atya峁卼a t墨kh膩 patra chai jeha苍腻, te 蝉腻尘补濒墨 惫峁沰峁 苍腻 办补峁ａ弓补-veda苍腻 ana峁卼墨 产腻谤补 bhogav墨 |
[11]:
狈颈谤补测腻惫补濒颈办腻, 1.26 Goyam膩!....caut迟丑墨e pa峁卥appabh膩e pu岣峚v墨e hem膩bhe narage dasas膩garovama峁弓hiiesu neraiesu neraiyatt膩e uvava峁囜箛e.
[12]:
础苍耻迟迟补谤辞辫补辫腻迟颈办补诲补艣腻 3.59-62 savva峁弓hasiddhe vim膩峁噀 uvava峁囜箛e