$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 187

CONDUCT
C09 - Jain Yoga
"OM! I will perform the following actions as a service to God and to living beings in order to help alleviate suffering!"
07 Method of Yoga Meditation
The following are a few easy tips to remember while practicing Yoga Meditation:
⚫ Sit in a comfortable posture with an erect spine, preferably in a specific yoga posture such as the Padmäsan or the Lotus posture.
• Energize the breath through Pränäyama.
⚫ Hold a visualization for a few minutes to clear the sensory field and focus the mind internally. The visualization may relate to peaceful colors, geometric designs (Yantra), natural images, or that of a deity or guru.
• Repeat an affirmation or prayer to increase positive thought power.
Repeat a mantra such as 'OM' to still the mind. Ideally one should repeat a mantra at least 108 times before the meditation.
⚫ Silently focus on the mind and let it empty itself out.
• Depending on one's natural temperament, it would help to try and establish contact with either God or a Higher Consciousness through the natural movement of one's heart.
By cultivating attitudes as indicated below, the mind retains its undisturbed calmness.
⚫ Friendliness towards the happy,
• Compassion for the unhappy,
• Delight in the virtuous, and
⚫ Disregard towards the wicked,
Just as the naturally pure crystal assumes shapes and colors of objects placed near it, the Yogi's mind becomes clear and balanced, and attains the state devoid of differentiation between knower, knowable, and knowledge. This culmination of meditation is Samädhi.
08 Summary
All four types of Yogas cover the entire spectrum of human personalities. Ashtanga Yoga concentrates on the subtle body, while the other three Yogas, Bhakti-yoga, Jnän-yoga, and Karma yoga, use some part of the mental being, will power, heart, or intellect, as a starting point. The goal is to arrive at the liberating Truth, Beatitude, and Infinity, which is the nature of spiritual life. Love, Knowledge, and Action are the three divine powers in human nature.
A person does not need to be searching for God to practice yoga. One only needs to have a desire to free oneself from the bonds that restrict oneself from being truly free. Once these bonds are broken, one realizes the true human potential, the true reality, and the God/Self within. A person can attain total freedom or realize God within using any of the four paths. However, at the final liberating state all paths merge, meaning the ultimate spiritual quality and characteristics of all liberated persons (souls) are the
same.
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
Page 187 of 398