Jain Journal 2012 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 16

Sagarmal Jain : The Historical Development of Jaina-Joga-System
unless he attains equanimity2!. It is only through the attainment of equanimity of mind one can attain emancipation. Ācārya Kundakunda says "what is the use of residing in forest, mortification of body, observance of various fasts, study of scriptures and keeping silence etc. to a saint, who is devoid of equanimity (Niyamasāra 124).
Now we come to the next question how one can attain this equanimity of mind. Mere verbal saying that I shall observe the equanimity of mind and refrain from all types of injurious activities does not have any meaning unless we seriously practice it in our life.
For this, first of all, one should know what are the causes which disturb our equanimity of mind and then make an endeavour to eradicate them.
It is very easy to say that one should observe the equanimity of mind, but in practice it is very difficult to attain it. As our mental faculty is always in grip of attachment and aversion, what so ever we think or do, is always motivated by either attachement or aversion. Because the vectors of attachment and aversion are solely responsible for the disturbance of mental equanimity, so the practice to attain equanimity depends on the eradication of attachment and aversion. So long as we do not eradicate the attachment and aversion, we are unable to attain equanimity or Samatva-yoga. Impacts of other Yoga-systems on Jaina-Yoga in this period :
So far as impact of other yoga systems on Jaina yoga is concerned, in the earliest first phase it is very difficult to show the impact of one system on the other system, because we do not find definite evidences, either sculptural or literary, of that period to prove one's impact on the another. In that phase the śramaņic trend of India was not divided into various schools with a definite philosophical background. But at this second phase, which is known as a canonical period, different schools of thought has taken a definite shape with their particular names such as Jainism, Buddhism, Ajivaka, Sāṁkhya and Yoga etc. In this period we do find various similarities in Jaina