Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楳editation in Early Terapantha Practice (Introduction)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. Meditation in Early 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 Practice (Introduction)
Early 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 meditative practices have not been investigated in detail to date. Nothing has been written about the transmitted details of 腻迟腻辫补苍腻, holding breath meditation and of 膧肠腻谤测补 叠丑颈办峁鈥檚 and Muni Hemar膩ja鈥檚 meditative practices, though some work has been done on the practices of Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 meditation. The primary sources are the writings of Jay膩c膩rya. There is little evidence of meditative practices relating to 膧肠腻谤测补 叠丑颈办峁, recorded in Bhikkhu Jasa 搁补蝉腻测补峁嘺 by Jay膩c膩rya (1851).
碍补苍补办补辫谤补产丑腻[1], the head nun of the 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 sect, translated into 贬颈苍诲墨 Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 two meditational treatises, 颁丑辞峁�鈥�诲丑测腻苍补 and 叠补岣嵞�鈥�诲丑测腻苍补, originally composed in 搁腻箩补蝉迟丑腻苍墨 and published in the book, 膧谤腻诲丑补苍腻 (Jay膩c膩rya, 1997: 81鈥�97). She also translated a small poetic piece on meditational procedures, entitled 顿丑测腻苍补-vidhi. However, these three texts have not been analysed so far. A composition in 搁腻箩补蝉迟丑腻苍墨 of Karmacanda-j墨 Sav膩m墨 k膩 顿丑测腻苍补 by Muni Karmacanda, a summary of Jay膩c膩rya鈥檚 叠补岣嵞�-诲丑测腻苍补, is available. It does not depict an independent form of meditation but a summarised form of the one found in 叠补岣嵞�-诲丑测腻苍补 (Navaratnamala, 2003b: 231). Buddhamala (1991), an eminent scholar and historian of the 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 tradition, has also contributed to the subject, but only by way of brief commentary.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
碍补苍补办补辫谤补产丑腻 (b. 1941) is the ninth head of nuns (蝉腻诲丑惫墨 辫谤补尘耻办丑腻) of the 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 order. She is designated a title of Great-Nun (尘补丑腻-艣谤补尘补峁嚹�). She is also an editor of more than 75 books written by 膧肠腻谤测补 罢耻濒补蝉墨, and has also edited his 鈥渁utobiography鈥� from his diaries into twenty-five volumes. She has authored five volumes of 罢耻濒补蝉墨鈥檚 foot journeys. Sargama, a collection of Hindi poems was also released by her. Many Jaina 腻驳补尘补蝉 were translated by her from 搁腻箩补蝉迟丑腻苍墨 into the 贬颈苍诲墨 language. In addition, twelve volumes of 叠丑补驳补惫补迟墨 闯辞岣峚 composed by Jay膩c膩rya in Rajasth膩n墨 were translated and edited by her (罢耻濒补蝉墨, 2014: 320-23, 327-29).