Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楳etaphysical Dualism: The Theoretical Background of Preksha-Dhyana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.
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2. Metaphysical Dualism: The Theoretical Background of Prek峁Ｄ�-Dhy膩na
It is clear from Mah膩praj帽a鈥檚 main work (2011a) on 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 that its theoretical sources lie firmly in the Jaina doctrine of metaphysical dualism.[1] This doctrine of the dualism of self and non-self, or self and matter, comes to the fore in the practice of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, in particular, in the practice of awareness of the body by which the practitioner comes to distinguish between the conscious, non-material self and the non-conscious, material body (Mah膩praj帽a, 2011a: 13).
According to Jaina philosophy, a living organism is held to be a unity of two elements: a conscious self and a material body.[2] It is crucial to realise that these two elements, self and body, are distinct and the meditative practice is an attempt go beyond the 鈥榣imitations鈥� of matter, which includes the gross body (艣补谤墨谤补), the senses (indriya), the mind (mana), as well as subtler yet still material bodies, such as the karmic one, to realise the nature of the self itself as pure consciousness (肠别迟补苍腻). Mah膩praj帽a discusses metaphysical dualism[3] in the form of the self as the central point covered by more subtle bodies as well as gross bodies.
Figure 1 -Metaphysical Dualism
The characteristic feature of the self is consciousness (肠别迟补苍腻)[4] which, in turn, consists of two elements: knowledge (箩帽腻苍补) and intuition (诲补谤艣补苍补)[5], the power to both 鈥渒now鈥� (箩腻苍辞) and 鈥渟ee鈥� (dekho). This is established as the fundamental principle of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 in the 顿补艣补惫补颈办腻濒颈办补-蝉奴迟谤补 which states, 鈥�蝉补峁僷颈办丑补别[6] 补辫辫补驳补尘补辫辫别峁嘺峁�[7] 鈥�, i.e., 鈥渟ee yourself through yourself鈥�. Mah膩praj帽a (1980a: 10) interprets this to mean, 鈥減erceive and realise the most subtle aspects of consciousness by your conscious mind (mana)鈥�. Meditative progress moves from an awareness of the gross physical body, which includes an awareness of the 鈥渕ind鈥� or thoughts, to an awareness of the various subtle bodies,[8] until finally awareness of the 鈥渟elf鈥�, which is distinct from these limitations, is reached. Mah膩praj帽a states that the term self (腻迟尘腻) also infers gross body (艣补谤墨谤补). In this context, it therefore transpires that the perception of the body is also the perception of the self (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 183). He further explains that during 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, the practitioner is instructed to perceive, the conditions which occur in the state of the mind, to perceive the internal changes manifested at the state of disposition (产丑腻惫补) and to perceive subtle consciousness thorough gross consciousness. During the worldly existence, the self has infinite modes. Bhagavati-蝉奴迟谤补 (叠丑补驳补惫补迟墨-蝉奴迟谤补,12.200) mentions eight modes of self.[9]
However, it is noteworthy that the two most important modes of the self are:
(1) knowledge-self (箩帽腻苍补-腻迟尘腻); and
(2) passion-self (kassio-腻迟尘腻).
The knowledge-self (箩帽腻苍补-腻迟尘腻) is pure consciousness whereas the passionself (办补峁Ｄ乱补-腻迟尘腻) is bound with delusion. The experiment of seeing yourself through yourself entails a process of perceiving the self-bound with delusion through pure consciousness. As the aspirant (蝉腻诲丑补办补) perceives more and more through knowledgeself to the passion-self, the greater the degree of purification of the passion-self. A state of pacification (耻辫补艣补尘补) and annihilation (办峁测补) of karma, is achieved through the practice of perception.
Mah膩praj帽a uses various sources to support his concept of 鈥減erception of the self鈥� as discussed below. Consciousness, Mah膩praj帽a claims, has two modes:
(1) 鈥楶erceiving鈥� consciousness (诲峁涐梗峁� 肠别迟补苍腻); and
(2) Visible consciousness (d峁涐梗ya 肠别迟补苍腻)
Perceiving consciousness (诲峁涐梗峁�-肠别迟补苍腻) is pure consciousness and that which is being perceived, is impure consciousness (d峁涐梗ya-肠别迟补苍腻). He quotes from the Jaina text, the 础峁単补惫颈箩箩腻 (8.4.1鈥�2), which explains that 鈥渁 proficient鈥� person should inspect the state of his self with the subtle level of consciousness (产丑腻惫补). The following ten modes are given for examination: 鈥渨retchedness (诲墨峁嘺测补峁�), wrathfulness (办耻诲诲丑补测补峁�), happiness (丑颈峁弓岣补峁�), cheerfulness (辫补蝉补峁囜箛补测补峁�), wellbeing (腻谤辞驳补迟迟补峁�), sickness (腻耻谤补迟迟补峁�), hunger (肠丑腻测补迟迟补峁�), contentment (辫墨峁噄迟补迟迟补峁嘺峁�), insanity (惫颈办办丑颈迟迟补办补峁�) and solitariness (别办补迟迟补峁�)鈥�.[10] The five positive (辫谤补艣补蝉迟补) modes are happiness, cheerfulness, wellbeing, contentment and solitariness and the remaining five are negative. One should perceive impure modes through pure modes and such perception results in purification.
Mah膩praj帽a also presents and assimilates the views of prominent 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 teacher Siddhasena and the Digambara author R膩masena. Siddhasena (6th c. CE) elucidates this view in the following way: 鈥榦bserve the state of the body; perceive the form of the mind (mana). Let us sit in meditation and observe different states of our body鈥�.[11] R膩masena (10th c. CE) similarly says that having the capacity of 鈥渟elfperception鈥�, with the self one should 鈥減erceive鈥� (辫补艣测别迟) the self which is always different from all those inner states that arise from karma, its nature knowing, natural (T艢. 164, tr. Dundas).[12] Innumerable changes occur in the body, R膩masena explains, and these must simply be witnessed with 鈥渢he inner eye鈥�, the perception 鈥�of the self through the self鈥�. He further adds that, 鈥榯he term 鈥渟elf鈥� is also used for the body, in this sense perception of body is also perception of self鈥� (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 183). We might say that the techniques of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 require systematic perception and attentive awareness of all levels of the human being, including the material body (艣补谤墨谤补), breath (艣惫腻蝉补), and mind (manas), or thought (惫颈肠腻谤补), settling finally, by differentiating these from the self in the awareness of self (腻迟尘补苍) itself. These aspects of the practical realisation of dualism in 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, are discussed below.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Metaphysical dualism of classical Jainism is not simple mind-body dualism. It is a dualism of self (箩墨惫补) and non-self (a箩墨惫补). Under a箩墨惫补 comes all four substances, namely, the medium of motion (诲丑补谤尘腻蝉迟颈办腻测补), and medium of rest (a诲丑补谤尘腻蝉迟颈办腻测补), space (腻办腻艣补) and matter (pudgala). For more detail see 罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补-蝉奴迟谤补 (5.1).
[2]:
This distinguishes the aims of Jaina 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� meditation from Buddhist meditative practices which do not believe in a self and do not hold the self鈥揵ody distinction to be foundational for liberation.
[3]:
Figure 1 metaphysical dualism is derived from (Mah膩praj帽, 2011a: 13鈥�15).
[4]:
罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补-蝉奴迟谤补1, 2.8. upyogo lak峁峁嘺m.
[6]:
Da艣vaik膩lika-蝉奴迟谤补-肠奴濒颈办腻 II (12)
[9]:
叠丑补驳补惫补迟墨-蝉奴迟谤补 12.200, 鈥�daviy膩y膩, ka峁Ｄ亂膩y膩, jog膩y膩, uvaog膩y膩, n膩峁嚹亂膩, da峁僺a峁嚹亂膩, caritt膩y膩, v墨riay膩y膩.
[10]:
[11]:
See, Vi艣rutavibh膩, 2009: 17.
[12]:
罢补迟迟惫腻苍耻艣腻蝉补苍补鈥�164 karmajebhya岣� samastebhyo bh膩vebhyo bhinnamanvaham, j帽asva产丑腻惫补mud膩stna峁� pa艣yed腻迟尘腻nam腻迟尘补苍膩.