Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楽ources on Pre-Modern Forms of Jaina Meditation鈥� of study dealing with Preksha-Dhyana: a meditation technique created by Acharya Shri Mahapragya (Acarya Mahaprajna) in the late twentieth century. It synthesizes ancient Jain ascetic methods, ritualistic practices, and modern scientific insights, appealing to a global audience. The thesis explores its historical context, theoretical foundations, and the rise of contemporary Jain meditation systems.
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5. Sources on Pre-Modern Forms of Jaina Meditation
Primary sources on Jaina meditation theory and practice include Prakrit, Sanskrit, 贬颈苍诲墨, R膩jasth膩ni and 骋耻箩补谤腻迟墨 Jaina and non-Jaina texts. The most significant material on the early period will be drawn from the Jaina 腻驳补尘补 literatures or the 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 Jaina canons. This Prakrit literature is pivotal in any investigation of the practice of meditation in early Jainism. I will also refer to the commentaries on the meditation-related passages in inner corpus of Jaina 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 canon (补峁単补). Traditionally these commentaries have been considered to be essential textual sources for understanding the 膩gamic texts.
The 膧肠腻谤腻峁単补-蝉奴迟谤补 is considered to be the most authentic account of 惭补丑腻惫墨谤补鈥檚 meditative practices, and is the oldest textual source for his biography. It mentions his long periods of meditation, which is described as 鈥渢hirteen years long鈥�[1] (膧肠腻谤腻峁単补-蝉奴迟谤补, 1.8.2.4). The late-canonical literature, in contrast, describes a fourfold meditation (a峁弓e jh膩峁噀, rodde jh膩峁噀, dhamme jh膩峁噀, sukke jh膩峁噀), primarily in the Sth膩n膩峁単a-蝉奴迟谤补[2], 叠丑补驳补惫补迟墨-蝉奴迟谤补[3] 础耻辫补辫腻迟颈办补-蝉奴迟谤补[4], and 鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补[5] with short references in some other texts.[6]
Meditation is embedded in the Jaina religious and philosophical context of the late-canonical period, and in the classical period in works such as Tattav膩rtha-蝉奴迟谤补 (hereafter 鈥�罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补-蝉奴迟谤补鈥�), which describes ritualistic forms of meditation as a part of the daily rites of atonement (辫谤腻测补艣肠颈迟迟补) for ascetics (罢补迟迟惫腻谤迟丑补-蝉奴迟谤补1 9.20). Being a part of the obligatory (腻惫补艣测补办补) rites, ritualistic meditation appears from the inception of the Jaina literature on rites and practices. The set of ritualistic meditational practices includes, in particular, the practice of 鈥榓bandonment of body鈥� (办腻测辞迟蝉补谤驳补), which is performed several times a day in a mendicant鈥檚 life.
Sanskrit yoga texts of both 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 and Digambara monks such as Haribhadra鈥檚 (8th c. CE) Yoga-诲峁涐梗峁璱-samuccaya, 艢耻产丑补肠补苍诲谤补鈥檚 (11th c. CE) 闯帽腻苍腻谤峁嘺惫补, and Hemacandra鈥檚 (12th c. CE) 驰辞驳补-艣腻蝉迟谤补 present Jaina meditation in a new style, much influenced by Hindu yoga, specifically 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈鈥檚 eight-fold system. These texts develop a new four-fold classification of meditation under the influence of Hindu 艢补颈惫补 tantra. Finally, 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 developed in the modern period, after a 30 years research and development by Mah膩praj帽a, including the influence of modern science and Buddhist 惫颈辫补蝉蝉补苍腻 meditation techniques of S. N. Goenk膩, which came into the last phase of its development.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
膧肠腻谤腻峁単补-蝉奴迟谤补, 1.8.2.4.鈥�
etehi mu峁嚹� saya峁噀hi峁�, sama峁噀 膩si pateras vase.
Rai峁僤iya峁� pi jayam膩峁噀, appamatte sam膩hie ja膩ti.
[2]:
[3]:
叠丑补驳补惫补迟墨-蝉奴迟谤补, 25.7.600. se ki峁� ta峁� jh膩峁噀? jh膩峁噀 cauvvihe pa峁囜箛atte, ta峁� 箩补丑腻-a峁弓e jh膩峁噀, rodde jh膩峁噀, dhamme jh膩峁噀, sukke jh膩峁噀.
[4]:
础耻辫补辫腻迟颈办补-蝉奴迟谤补, 30. (岣峚). se ki峁� ta峁� jh膩峁噀? jh膩峁噀 cauvvihe pa峁囜箛atte. ta峁� 箩补丑腻-1. 补峁弓补箩箩丑腻峁噀 2. 谤补耻诲诲补箩箩丑腻峁噀 3. 诲丑补尘尘补箩箩丑腻峁噀 4. 蝉耻办办补箩箩丑腻峁噀.
[5]:
鲍迟迟补谤腻诲丑测补测补苍补-蝉奴迟谤补1, 30.35.鈥�
a峁弓arudd膩峁噄 vajjitt膩, jh膩ejj膩 susam膩hie.
dhammasukk膩i峁� jh膩峁嚹乮峁�, 箩丑腻峁嘺峁� ta峁� tu bhuh膩 vae.
[6]:
闯帽腻苍腻谤峁嘺惫补, 25.20. 腻谤迟迟补谤补耻诲谤补惫颈办补濒辫别苍补 dur诲丑测腻苍补峁� 诲别丑颈苍腻峁� 诲惫颈诲丑腻. divdh膩 pra艣astamapyukta峁� dharma艣uklavikalpata岣�.