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Concept of Meditation in Jain Agama
Dr Samani Mangal Prajñā
Meditation is now a popular practice among people all around the world and this is increasingly becoming a subject of intense research. Jainism has its historical origin in the Sramaņa civilization of ancient India. These traditions which, in addition to Jainism, includes Buddhism, Ājīvakas etc. shared a rejection of Vedic sacrifice and its social structure. More importantly, common to all held sophisticated techniques of body discipline and meditation. Curiously, and for reasons yet unknown, Jainism lost its tradition of meditation. Although it retained a strong emphasis on body discipline and fasting, decline in meditational practices was common both in mendicant and lay communities. We know that Jainism had a rich heritage of meditational practices. The canonical literature of the Jains as well as the medieval scholarly treatises provide elaborate treatments on the topic in its different aspects. Although meditation always occupied an important position in Jain scriptures, its treatment underwent change throughout the centuries, reflecting prevailing interests and perhaps other developing tradition. Nevertheless Āgamic literature of Jainas has preserved sufficient material for the reconstruction of the earlier phase of meditation that was followed by Lord Mahāvīra himself during his ascetic life. Although it is quite difficult to determine the various development of the doctrine of meditation in early Jainism, hence additional research would be needed for this. A
Tai uşil 3745&re-festar, 2008
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