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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DHYANA IN JAIN, BUDDHA AND
YOGA SYSTEMS
Jaina, Buddha and Yoga Darshan advocate ‘Dhyaana' or meditation as a means to end suffering, realize self and to attain freedom from the cycle of birth and death called Nirvana or Mukti or Deliverance. In modern times Dhyaana is being used to reduce tension, attain peace in life, and to deal with disease like depression, hypertension etc. Management Gurus are using this technique to improve management styles, bring about peace in family life and reinvigorate social and ethical values.
Bhagwan Mahavira, Bhagwan Buddha and Maharshi Patanjali found suffering all around and took upon themselves to find a way out to ameliorate the sufferings of the people. They found Dhyaana as the best method as it helped in controlling the capricious mind. Proclivities of mind, which led to engrossment with worldly pleasures, were found to be the chief causes of suffering. So controlling the mind and diverting it from the worldly pleasures was the way to bring mind in equanimity and to end the suffering. Concentration of mind has been defined as Dhyaana but all Dhyaanas do not result in end of suffering. Jain system divided Dhyaana in four parts and brought out that only two Dhyaanas (Dharma Dhyaana and Shukla Dhyaana) were helpful in ending the suffering. The other two Dhyaana (Aarta Dhyaana and Roudra Dhyaana) were actually at the root of suffering. Dhyaana or concentration of mind to amass wealth or avenge are ignoble Dhyaana and bring suffering not only to the self but also to others in the society. All the three systems, Jain Buddha and Yoga, emphasize giving up craving and aversion or Veetaragata (non-attachment) and equanimity or Samataa. In other words
