Basic Principles Of Jainism

Author(s): Narayan Lal Kachhara
Publisher: Narayan Lal Kachhara

Page 95

Contemplating about the evanescence, helplessness, worldliness, aloneness, otherness, nature of universe, rarity of right guidance and the tenets of Lord constitute Anupreksha. Parishaha consists of bearing hardship for the sake of staying on the right path and for eliminating the bondage of karma. Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, insect-bite, unclad state, despise, seduction, moving about steady posture, rough bed, reproach, injury, going for alms, facing disadvantage, disease, thorny grass, dirtiness, honor or award, intelligence, nescience and failure to comprehend are the main hardships. Charitra means putting the precepts into practice. The first requirement of monastic life is gaining of equanimity. That is when a person realizes that he/she is in a position to observe equanimity and maintain peace of mind; he is initiated in the monastic life. As a monk the person undertakes special types of penance and austerities. With spiritual progress the monk overcomes all types of defilements except very subtle, wholesome attachment. Finally, the monk reaches a stage of total detachment.
For the preservation of equanimity one should cultivate friendship (maitri) with all creatures, appreciation (pramoda) for the superior, compassion and sympathy (karunya) for the afflicted, and indifference (madhyasthya) for the unruly. Contemplation of the nature of the world and the body generates fear (samvega) and indifference (vairagya) for the worldly existence and therefore is to be earnestly pursued.
This long prescription of the rules of conduct, objects of contemplation and varieties of austerity is symptomatic of the supreme importance that Jainism gives to the moral life of a spiritual aspirant. Jainism lays special stress on mortification of the flesh for the regeneration of the spirit. Meditation
Our mind is very fickle, like a butterfly, which always flies here and there and does not wait at one place for long. But the speed of our mind is far more than the speed of butterfly; it could be greater than the speed of light. Mind can recollect past experiences, keeps thinking about the future and experiences the present with all its might and we do not have any control over our mind's journey. The mind can multiply or divide the strength of the Body. The person can't work if he is mentally not prepared for it but a person can work with extra energy if he makes up his mind. It can travel from one point to another point at infinite distance within a fraction of a second. The mind interconnects the 'Self with the physical body. The mind controls the physical organs through brain and Endocrine Gland System.
Meditation, the primary technique employed for spiritual progress, is a state of concentration of mind leading to higher states of awareness resulting into heightened perceptions. To achieve this state one needs to quiet the mind, control the thoughts, and balance the emotions. The process of meditation takes long preparations; meditative postures also help the practitioner to steady the body and mind. Through meditation one can reach the stage of Samadhi, a super conscious state. In Samadhi non-duality or oneness is experienced. This is the