Jainism Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment

Author(s): Narendra Bhandari
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

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Jainism: The Eternal and Universal path for Enlightenment
learn everything about the object of thought. This leads to new insight in to nature of the object. In advance stage of meditation, one should not make any effort by body, neither recite anything, nor think anything by mind. Essentially one should become like a mountain, immovable, determined and unconcerned. This way one will stabilize and the soul will be immersed in the soul. This is the ultimate meditation.
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There are three prerequisites of attaining the state of meditation: Devotion (full faith in the method one is employing to attain Sam dhi), Determination (that I will attain Sam dhi in this sitting, no matter how much time and effort it takes) and Dedication (put everything at stake, your whole world to attain Samdhi).
Intense meditation can be done for a short period of time to orient the mind but meditation must go on in the background all the time of day or night irrespective of what one is engaged in, to achieve substantial results. The first step is to observe one's own mind, its behavior, its response (anger, greed, attachment, pride, ego etc) to various situations and persons, and to evaluate and classify one's own mind. By observing one's mind, one can soon come to the conclusion that mind forms its opinion on flimsy ground, is always fluctuating, inconsistent, mean, dominated by negative aspects more than by positive aspects, can not be relied upon and is worthy of discarding. After the strengths and weaknesses of one's mind is evaluated, the next step is to channelise the thoughts.
The best course is to concentrate on one's "άtadev" knowing very well that the "I-tadev "is only a projection of its mind and play of one's own consciousness. The Tantra method of Jainism is so powerful that it can animate the i-tadev, put life in to it and feel it as real, bringing it out from the virtual realm to the realm of real existence. Intense contemplation on the image of I-tadev in a mirror can animate the Intadev, substantial enough to touch, feel and talk to.
Several experiential milestones on the path to meditation have been mentioned in the texts. Once continuous meditation on I-t devis attained, the next stage is to feel, without any shadow of doubt one ness with "Him", i.e. "I am tadev" (So-ham or Aham Brahmsmi). This leads to the attainment of non-duality (Advaita) and the power of the diety is achieved. Psychic heat, i.e. a kind of inner fire is thus produced which is a kind of psychic force. Controlled respiration and intense mental concentration causes an illumination that fills the body, which then expands to fill the whole universe.