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Šāmāyika : 113
"I ask forgiveness of all beings, may all beings forgive me. I have friendship with all beings. and I have hostility with none. 10
His mind thus put at case, the aspirant further pacifies himself by reaching toward all beings through the four 'boundless states'. These correspond exactly to the 'brahmavihāras' in Buddhism and to the 'cultivations for mental pacification' in the Yoga system:
"Friendship towards all beings Delight in the qualities of virtuous ones, Utmost compassion for afflicted beings,
Equanimity towards those who are not well-disposed towards me,
May my soul have such dispositions (as these) for ever?"!!
In this atmosphere, the first purpose of the sāmāyika is attained, for the aspirant is now ready to contemplate the nature of his true self. The Jain teachers have composed several recitations to be used in such contemplation; we will here reproduce a short version of one such sāmāyika-pātha'. 12
"I have equanimity towards all beings. I have no enmity towards anyone Abandoning all attachments I take refuge in meditation. If, alas, any beings have been hurt by my desire, my hatred or my infatuation, May those beings forgive me Again and again I beg for their pardon."13 "As long as I am seated in this meditation, I shall patiently suffer all calamities that may befall me, be they caused by an animal, a human being, or a god. I renounce, for the duration (of this meditation) My body, all food, and all passions.14 "Attachment, aversion, fear, sorrow, joy,
