Spiritual Discipline and Practices in Jainism

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain
Publisher: Z_Vijyanandsuri_Swargarohan_Shatabdi_Granth_012023.pdf

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Anasana is of six kinds, srenitapa, prataratapa (16 fasts), ghanatapa (16 x 4 64 fasts), vargatapa (64 x 64 4096), vargavargatapa (4096x4096 = 16777216 fasts), and prakiratapa Vrtliparisankhyana in the Uttaradhyayana is classified into three, gocari, mrgacarya and kapotavrtti.
The main object behind the external austerity is to cultivate patient endurance of bodily pain and suffering in order to remove attachment to pleasure and to proclaim the glory of the teaching of the Jinas.
The internal austerities are also of six types, viz. 1. prayascitta (expiation over negligence of duties, it is of nine kinds, i.e. alocana, pratikramana, tadubhaya, viveka, vyutsarga, tapa, cheda, parihara and upasthapana. 23 The Uttaradhyayana mentions another kind, i) parancika which is prescribed for the most henious karama.124 ii) vonaya (reverence to the holy personages), ii) vaiyavrtti services to the saints in difficulty iv) svadhyayatapa) study of the scriptures with giving up idleness, anger, pride etc. and vi) dhyana (meditation) for checking the ramblings of the mind. Vinaya is described with its four kinds, namely jnana, caritra, darsana and upacara (abhythsna, anjalikarana, asanadana, gurubhakti and bhavasusrusa. Svadhyaya is of five types, i) vacana (teaching), ii) prchana (questioning), iii) anuprekaa (reflection), amnaya (recitation), and v) dharmopadesa (preaching).
We now come to the medittation, the last point of internal austerity. Concentration of thought on one particular object is meditation. The mind must be abstracted from all worldly desires and passions and these causes can be detected through introspection which prepare the mind to overcome them. This attitide of mind having right path of prification is called spirituality. For realization of this spirituality, Jainism has prescribed some spiritual disciplines and practices for meditation which require considerable purification of the self.
The auspicious meditation for attainment of spiritual goal is of two types, viz. virtuous or righteous meditation (dharmadhyana) and pure meditation (sukladhyana). After removal of sorrowful concentrations (arta-raudra dhyana), the sadhaka in the third stage (dharma-dhyana) contemplates on the objects of revelation, misfortune or calamity, ructitication of karmas and the structare of the universer (ajnavicaya, apayavicaya, vipakavicaya and samsthanavicaya). According to Digambara tradition dharmadhyana is possible only in the four
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Shri Vijyanand Suri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth