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34 DHYAN (MEDITATION)
Dhyan means meditation on something with an absolute concentration of mind. It is of 2 kinds : auspicious meditation and inauspicious meditation. Inauspicious meditation is not an austerity. It does not destroy karma. It is an Asrav by means of which new karmas enter the soul. An auspicious meditation is an austerity. It can destroy karmas.
Incidentally, the inauspicious meditations will also be described so that you may escape from them by keeping them off. The point is that meditations are tremendously efficacious. For example : Prasanna Chandra Rajarshi on account of his evil meditations gathered the sins that forced him to go to the seventh hell. But when he began auspicious meditati ɔns, h: could ascend straight upto the supreme level of Kevalji:an.
The inauspicious meditation is of 2 kinds namely Arthadhyan and Raudradhyan. Each of these two has 4 kinds.
In Arthadhyan - (1) One meditates on these ideas. "How can I get something which I like? How can I remain with one?" (2) "How can I get rid of undesirable things ? How can I avoid them ?" Thinking of these things. (3) Thinking of getting rid of or remedying agony and malady. (4) Nidan : that means a painful fear regarding materialistic pleasures.
In Raudradhyan : (1, 2, 3 Himsanubandhi, Mrishanubandhi, Steyanubandhi). Raudradhyan means carrying out cruel contemplations on violence, falsehood, stealing, robbery and such ignoble things, Samrakshananubandhi Raudradhyan — thinking carefully about safeguarding one's wealth, fame etc.
The auspicious meditations are of 2 kinds — (1) Dharmadhyan; (2) Shukladhyan. (1) Dharmadhyan is of 4 kinds namely Ajna, Apaya, Vipaka and Sansthana.
(1) Ajna Vichaya : “The commands of the Jin and the words of the Jin are extraordinary and beneficial to all jivas" - this kind of thinking.
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