Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 15

consequence, the saint observes five Mahāvratas; five Samitis, three Guptis and practises internal and external austerities with special attention to meditation, devotion, and Svādhyāya. Besides, he gets food by begging, eats only a little, gets over sleep, endures troubles, practises universal friendship, adheres to spiritual upliftment, and turns away from acquisitions, association and lifeinjuring activities76. Thus from the life of Muni, “vice totally vanishes and there remains virtue which will also be transcended as soon as the flight into the realm of spirit is made77.” Since in this stage complete meditational self-submergence is lacking, though there is complete self-restraint (Samyama), this stage is styled Pramattavirata Gunasthāna78, i. e. here Pramāda exists with self-restraint?”. Nevertheless this stage may be regarded as the terminus of purgative way. It may be noted here that the self in the fifth Guņasthāna and onwards is called Cāritrī. 80
(4) Illumination or (a) Apramatta Virata (b) Apūrvakaraņa, (c) Anivsttikarana, (d) Sukṣma-Samparāyà, (c). Upaśānta Kaşāya and (f) Kșīņakaṣāya Gurasthāna : : :
These Gunasthāna from the seventh to the twelfth are the meditational stages or the stages of illumination and ecstasy. In other words, these are the stages of Kāntā and Prabhā Drsțis. 81 It is to be noted here that the self oscillates between the sixth and the seventh Gunasthānas thousand of times and when it attains steadiness, it strenuously prepares itself either for suppressing or for annihilating the conduct-deluding Karmas.82 This oscillation is the result of the struggle between Pramāda and Apramāda. By the time the aspirant reaches the seventh Gunasthāna, he has developed a power of spiritual attention, of self-merging and of gazing into the ground of the soul. It is through the aid of deep meditation that the mystic now pursues the higher path. In consequence, he arrives at the eighth and the ninth stages known as the Apūrvakaraṇa and the Anivsttikaraņa Guņasthāna, where exists the state of profound purity.83 In the tenth Gunasthāna known as Suksma-Samparāya there is only subtle greed that can disturb the soul. 84 The soul suppresses even this subtle greed in the eleventh Gunasthāna known as Upaśānta
Jaina Mysticism and other essays