Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楯ayacarya鈥檚 Meditation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. Jay腻肠腻谤测补鈥檚 Meditation
Hemar膩ja was Jay腻肠腻谤测补鈥檚 instructor in religious science (惫颈诲测腻-guru).[1] After initiation, Jay腻肠腻谤测补 spent twelve years[2] with Hemar膩ja[3] to acquire knowledge of the 腻驳补尘补蝉 and different arts, although there is no reference or record of meditational training received by Jay腻肠腻谤测补 (Buddhamala 1991: 341). 膧肠腻谤测补 惭补驳丑补惫腻 (1881鈥�1892), the fifth 腻肠腻谤测补 of the 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 sect, wrote quite specifically in Jaya-蝉耻箩补艣补, a biography of Jay腻肠腻谤测补 (1886) that he had learnt meditation from Muni Hemar膩ja, that he was well versed in yoga[4] (joga-艣腻蝉迟谤补) and that he used to practise meditation for long periods of time. Mah膩praj帽a states that Jay腻肠腻谤测补鈥檚 life had been highly influenced by Hemar膩ja.
Hence, possibly, meditational sprouting in Jay腻肠腻谤测补 must be form Hemar膩ja (Mah膩praj帽a, 1981: 25). The text on the twenty-four songs about the 迟墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤补 titled 颁补耻产颈蝉墨[5] (1857) by Jay腻肠腻谤测补 has many references to the meditative practices of the 迟墨谤迟丑补峁卥补谤腻蝉, which provides further evidence that Jay腻肠腻谤测补 had an in-depth knowledge of these meditative practices (罢耻濒补蝉墨 and Mah膩praj帽a, 1997: 33鈥�5).
Furthermore, the meditation practice of Jay腻肠腻谤测补 is briefly mentioned in JayaJaya Jayamah膩r膩ja by different sources. Dharmacanda, a lay follower shares his grandfather鈥檚 documented write-up in a logbook (产补丑墨), who used to do be a close devotee of Jay腻肠腻谤测补, he spent his 辫补耻峁诲丑补[6] nights awake, alert and witnessed his meditative practices as follows:
He was an adept in trance-meditation (yoga-蝉补尘腻诲丑颈). His location of trance (蝉补尘腻诲丑颈) was entrusted in jyoti-kendra[7] and his location of one-pointedconcentration (诲丑腻谤补峁嚹�) was left leg toe. He was able to meditate for three hours at a stretch. His yogic potential was able to unveil the inner secrets. Reverent would experience very strange experiences in his psychic-center-consciousness (肠补办谤补肠别迟补苍腻)鈥he method to visualise the paranormal powers was naturally availed to him (厂腻驳补谤补 2009:170).
The meaning of the phrase 鈥榣ocation of 蝉补尘腻诲丑颈 and 诲丑腻谤补峁嘺鈥� is difficult for us to understand nor do we know the exact usage of the terms jyoti-kendra and cakra-肠别迟补苍腻 in the context of both Jay腻肠腻谤测补鈥檚 meditative practices and modern practices. It does however, reveal his practice of long sessions of meditation. Furthermore, the mention of cakras and jyoti-kendra indicate that the practices are more detailed than the available sources reveal.
As a practising meditator, Jay腻肠腻谤测补 composed two short prose texts on meditation, 叠补岣嵞�-诲丑测腻苍补 (long meditation) and Cho峁�-诲丑测腻苍补 (short meditation), as well as 顿丑测腻苍补-vidhi (a song about procedures of meditation). These two prose pieces documented meditational techniques in the 罢别谤腻辫补苍迟丑补 tradition for the first time. These texts are written in the M膩rav膩岣嵞� dialect, though their precise date and place of composition are unknown. I will now explore the meditational texts of Jay腻肠腻谤测补, and show how these contributed towards the genesis of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
[3]:
Navaratnamala, 2003a: 187.
[4]:
[5]:
颁补耻产颈蝉墨 means one which has twenty-four in it. Here there are twenty-four songs.
[6]:
[7]:
The jyoti-kendra here is between the eyebrows as could be found in 顿丑测腻苍补-vidhi of Jay腻肠腻谤测补, (n.d./1997c: 95) unlike that of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� which is the center of forehead.