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with un-blinking eyes. This gale was fixed on the wall before him, though his meditation was concentrated on his inner self.
In various places in Acāränga Sūtra the same process is described in different perspectives, usually adding some additional information. In the second chapter it states:
āyātacakkhu loga-vipassi logassa aho bhāgam jāņai uddham bhāgam jāņai, tiriyam bhāgam jāņai."
In the above verses the word 'āyatacakkhu' indicates the trāțaka. This word is discussed earlier. According to Apte dictionary āyata means curbed, restrained. So the person with widely open eyes means the person with controlled eyes, that is unblinking eyes. This explanation can be compared with verse 9/1/5 of the same sūtra (Acārāmga).
The word 'Loka'(loga) has various meanings. In this context it also has more than one meaning. In Ācārānga Bhāsya, Acārya Mahāprajna discussed on this word in detail. I quote his explanation here. As follows:
“The world' (Loka) means 'the body' which is universe. This interpretation can be supported by the Brahminical works like Sivasamhita, Tantrasangraha, and carakasamhita. In these works the word (Loka) is compared to brahmānda (universe), which is also called purusa i.e. the cosmic person.
In the verse under comment, the word loka (world) has another meaning too. It can mean the body of a person, which is a sensuous object with three parts: the lower, beneath the navel; the upper, above the navel, and the middle, the region of the navel itself. Thus, the perceiver of the body is logavipassi.
Perception of loka, 'loka' means both the universe and the body, has a very important place in the technique of meditation, which was followed by Lord Mahāvīra. The Universe and the body both have three parts. Lord Mahavira fully engaged himself in perceiving these parts. The practice of perceiving the body as a whole is an important aspect of the discipline of meditation. This practice also has found elaborate treatment in the Buddhist Meditational practice.? The comparison can be done on the basis of similarity, which is found in both the traditions Jainism and Buddhism.
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