Jaina Mysticism and Other Essays

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

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(ii) The internal austerities are also of six kinds.73 i. Prāyaścitta : When a muni has committed certain transgressions, he resorts to repentance for the wrong done in order to purify himself. That is the real prāyaścitta wherein the commission of fault in spiritual life is not repeated. ii. Vinaya : It means the expression of humbleness towards the spiritually superior. A muni is not conceited in his attainments, and behaves modestly with all those who have attained to spiritual heights. iii. Vaiyāvsttya : It means the rendering of service to other munis through suitable means when they are overwhelmed by disease, affliction and any disturbance whatsoever. iv. Vyutsarga : It implies the relinquishment of internal and external parigraha. v. Svādhyāya: The study of scriptures is svādhyāya. Its purpose is to enrich the intellect, to refine moral and spiritual efforts, to infuse detachment and fear from mundance miseries, and to purify defects that may occur when one pursues the divine path. For those who are fickleminded and intellectually unsteady, nothing is so potent to end such a state of mind as the pursuance of svādhyāya. Without the acquisition of scriptural knowledge, there is always a danger of being led astray from the virtuous path, just as the tree full of flowers and leaves cannot escape its deadening fate for want of the root. The man with svādhyāya saves himself from being led astray, just as the needle with thread is not lost. vi. Dhyāna : It represents the concentration of mind on a particular object. The object of concentration may be profane or holy in character. The mind may concentrate either on the debasing object or on the object which is elevating. The former is aprašasta-dhyāna and the latter is praśasta: In dealing with dhyāna as tapa, we are concerned with the praśasta type of dhyāna, since it is only relevant to spiritual realization. It is the indispensable, integral constituent of right conduct, and consequently it is directly related to the actualization of the divine potentialities. It is the clear and single road by which the aspirant can move. straight to the supreme good. All the disciplinary observances find their culmination in dhyāna, and they form an essential background for the performance of dhyāna. The practice of the fourfold virtue of maitri (friendship with all creatures), pramoda (appreciation of
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Jaina Mysticism and other essays