Meditation and Jainism

Author(s): Pratapkumar J Toliiya, Parul P Toliya
Publisher: Vardhaman Bharti International Foundation Bangalore

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illuminating timelessness" by way of the body, through the right kind of meditation (based on postures and breathing etc.). Dogen advocated "LIVE IN THE MOMENT" as in actuality he found only the PRESENT, the PAST gone for ever and the FUTURE never to arrive!
Now this TIMELESSNESS and PRESENT STATE of being is prescribed in various wonderful remote forms of JAINIST MEDITATION. Lord Mahaveera stressed the importance of the LIVING PRESENT by calling it to be the GOLDEN PRESENT MOMENTS (''INMEVAM KHANAM VIYANIA"). In short, apart from its uniqueness and diversities, Jainist Meditation has several similarities with above recorded glimpses of Zen Buddhist Meditation. And to come back to my point, remotely Zen Meditation is certainly influenced by Jain Meditation. But this requires other place to go into its detailed studies. Just to draw comparative conclusions, Jainist Meditation stresses inner, silent, one's own & original experience and continuity of the SELF. This experience will not be a borrowed one or imitative outwardly, but at the same time, in its beginning stages there will be the "orders" and "directions" prescribed by the Jin Tirthankaras remotely and the Right Masters currently guiding the seeker or meditator. This is just to put him on the right path, which, he will then persue ALL ALONE. Leaving such insistences of Right Masters and Guides and their orders (which are there also in Buddhist traditions in a little different way) the Jainist Meditation Practices are mostly revealed in above recorded Zen Buddhist practices of silent and free meditations.
One can certainly find further interesting similarities in Meditations of Jaina way. In forms of pre-requirements, they spell of certain Zen ways. These Jainist pre-require -ments expect the Meditator to get rid of Hatred and Attachments (the RAGAS & DWESHAS), to cultivate
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