Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楬emacandra鈥檚 Yogashastra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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11.6. Hemacandra鈥檚 驰辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补
[Full title: The Two Meditations: Liberating Psychological States (6) Hemacandra鈥檚 驰辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补]
膧肠腻谤测补 Hemacandra (12th c. CE) in his encyclopaedic work 驰辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补 classifies 诲丑测腻苍补 as two-fold only: dharma and 艣耻办濒补. The tradition of four-fold meditation is changed here. Hemacandra also deals with questions of the proper place of meditation, posture, regulation of breath, withdrawal of the mind from the senses, and the fixing of the mind on different places in the body. In these matters, he is a close follower of 艢耻产丑补肠补苍诲谤补. Hemacandra also incorporates 艢耻产丑补肠补苍诲谤补鈥檚 fourfold meditation, namely, 辫颈峁囜笉补蝉迟丑补-, padastha-, 谤奴辫补蝉迟丑补- and 谤奴辫腻迟墨迟补-诲丑测腻苍补 which are considered subtypes of dharmya-诲丑测腻苍补[1]
Generally, mantras, which are used to gain worldly well-being, and other magical powers are prohibited for salvific purposes among Jainas. Qvarnstr枚m鈥檚 study of the 驰辞驳补-艣腻蝉迟谤补 discusses the impact of 鈥淜a艣m墨riyana-艢补颈惫补鈥� traditions on Hemacandra鈥檚 work. He shows that there were multiple causes behind the adoption of mantra and tantric practices in Jaina meditative practice. The main cause of this adoption was the influence of the 艢补颈惫补 king 碍耻尘腻谤补辫腻濒补 (1143鈥�1172). Qvarnstr枚m suggests that Hemacandra may have foreseen future gains in adapting material familiar to the cultural heritage of the newly converted king 碍耻尘腻谤补辫腻濒补 to the Jaina tradition (Qvarnstr枚m, 1998: 42鈥�3). Hemacandra states that 鈥渉aving gained knowledge from the ocean of scriptures, the tradition of great guru and by his own experiences鈥�.[2] However, one of the most important motive behind this composition was a request of king 碍耻尘腻谤补辫腻濒补 of 颁腻濒耻办测补 dynasty. Moreover, the three sourses behind this composition are documented but Hemacandra also incorporated yogic knowledge of various indignious traditions.
More generally, in the early and late medieval periods, Jaina thinkers rationalised orthodox theory and incorporated heterodox doctrines from the Br膩hma峁噄cal and tantric 艢补颈惫补 traditions, a trend which was continued by the later 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 耻辫腻诲丑测腻测补 驰补艣辞惫颈箩补测补 (1624鈥�1688) who also made contributions to the theory of Jaina meditation. In the context of Jaina yoga literature, he is known as the 鈥渟mall Haribhadra鈥� (laghu Haribhadra). He composed many books on Jaina yoga: 础诲丑测腻迟尘补-蝉腻谤补, 础诲丑测腻迟尘补upani峁da, 闯帽腻苍补-蝉腻谤补, Dv膩tri峁兣沘t-峁玨膩, Dv膩tri峁兣沬k膩, a 惫峁泃迟颈 on Haribh膩dra鈥檚 驰辞驳补惫颈苍艣颈办腻, and a 惫峁泃迟颈 on 峁岣峚艣颈办腻, a 惫峁泃迟颈 on 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈-yoga-蝉奴迟谤补, and the 厂补箩箩丑腻测补 on the Yoga-诲峁涐梗峁璱-samuccaya of Haribhadra. Dundas states that 鈥淸He] seems to have viewed himself as extending Haribhadra鈥檚 intellectual enterprise鈥� and in Dundas鈥� view, 鈥渢he 厂腻峁僰丑测补苍 ontological categories to which 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈鈥檚 yoga system is to a large extent linked have been consistently deemed unacceptable鈥� (Dundas, 2012: 145).
A further text worthy of mention is 膧肠腻谤测补 Vinayavijaya鈥檚 艢腻苍迟补-蝉耻诲丑腻谤补蝉补产丑腻惫补苍腻 composed in Sanskrit in the 17th century. This text elucidates sixteen types of 补苍耻辫谤别办峁Ｄ�, or contemplation and is often popularly known as 产丑腻惫补苍腻-yoga (reflectionyoga).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Yoga-艣腻蝉迟谤补1, 7.8. 辫颈峁囜笉补蝉迟丑补峁� ca 辫补诲补蝉迟丑补峁� ca 谤奴辫补蝉迟丑补峁� r奴pavarjita峁�. caturdh膩 dhyeyam膩mn膩ta峁� 诲丑测腻苍补sth膩鈥檒ambana峁� budhai岣�.
[2]:
驰辞驳补-艣腻蝉迟谤补, 1.4 艣rut膩mbodheradhigamya, samprad膩y膩cca sadguro岣�. svasa峁僾edanata艣c膩pi, yoga艣腻蝉迟谤补峁� viracyate.