ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 376

naya and pram a for supporting the truth is also said to have performed ajn na vicaya dharma dhy na. All studies of scriptures constitute this type of dharma dhy na.
Ap yavicaya - to think that the perverted souls are opposed to the path of the omniscient, or to ponder over ways and means of realizing preachers from wrong belief, knowledge and conduct, constitutes ap yavicaya. To contemplate on seven tattvas is also ap yavicaya dharma dhy na.
Vip ka vicaya - it means thinking of the various effects of the karmas on the creatures. All pleasures and pains are results of one's own actions that should be regulated and controlled. All reflections on this aspect are included in this type of dharma dhy na.
Samsth na vicaya - it means reflecting over the nature and form of the universe with a view of attaining detachment. It includes reflection over the shape of the universe, the seven hells and their miseries, the middle region, the sixteen heavens and their pleasures, and the Siddha ila or the place where liberated souls reside.
4. kla Dhy na In dharma Dhy na, the consciousness of the distinction between subject and object of knowledge persists; whereas in kla Dhy na all conceptual thinking ceases gradually. kla Dhy na is so called, because it emerges when the filth of passions has been destroyed or has subsided.
kla Dhy na is possible only for a person with a body of the best order (vajrav abha n racasamsth na) and for one who has the knowledge of the eleven angas and fourteen purvas.
Stages of kla Dhy na With gradual disappearance of conceptual thinking, the ukla Dhy na has following four stages, the first two which occur up to the 12th gunasth na and the last two only to an omniscient:
P thakatva vitarkavic ra - In this stage, all the three types of activities of body, speech, and mind (yogas) continue and the aspirant shifts from one kind of activity to another, from one substance to another, and from one modification to another. All these stages of thinking depend on the scriptural knowledge. In spite of the fact that the object of thinking changes here, it is called Dhy na, because many Dhy na together also form Dhy na.
Ektva vitarkavic ra - Here only one of the three yogas persists and there is no shifting from one object of thinking to another. In this stage, also thinking depends on scriptural knowledge. After this stage, the aspirant becomes omniscient, and all the obscuring karmas are destroyed.
Suksmakriy pratipatti- Now only the subtle activities of body persist and all types of vocal and mental and gross type of physical activities cease. Only the four non-obscuring Karmans, viz. agedetermining, feeling-determining, name-determining, and family-determining Karmans remain. Now, if the age-determining Karman has the same length as other karmas exceed age-determining karma, they are brought in line with the last mentioned Karman by means of samudg ta. While resorting to gross physical activities, he makes the gross vocal and mental activities subtle; and then resorting to the later, he makes the former also subtle. Resorting to the subtle physical activities, he stops other two activities completely.
Samucchinnakriy - Here all activities stop completely. The soul shines forth in its intrinsic lustre, all Karmans exhaust, and he leaves his body in the time taken for pronouncing five small letters.
To conclude we say, that Jainism lays emphasis on penance, but it should be characterized by spiritual awakening, or else it just becomes torture of the body. The transcendental morality culminates in meditation, which should never be used as a means for attaining supernatural powers.
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0