Acharya Hastimalji Ki Den Sadhna Ke Kshetra Me

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, focusing on Acharya Hastimalji's contributions to the field of Sadhana (spiritual practice):

This document, authored by Chandmal Karnavat, details the profound contributions of Acharya Shri Hastimalji Maharaj to the realm of Sadhana and spiritual practice within Jainism. The author emphasizes that Acharya Hastimalji was a preeminent yogi and an ideal practitioner, whose life was deeply imbued with the pursuit of knowledge, philosophy, and righteous conduct (Jnana, Darshan, Charitra). His life was characterized by meticulousness (apramatta), constant engagement in practices like meditation, silence, chanting, austerities, and self-study (dhyana, maun, jap, tap, swadhyaya). His actions reflected purity and freedom from passions (nishkayata and nirmalta). He lived a life of extreme moderation in food and sleep, dedicating the remaining time to sadhana, propagating the principles of Lord Mahavir, and creative literary endeavors.

Acharya Hastimalji is credited with introducing a revolutionary and creative step in the field of sadhana with his unique concept of sadhana. He believed in understanding the "why" and "how" of spiritual practice, particularly concerning the pursuit of knowledge, philosophy, and conduct.

Key Contributions and Concepts:

• Sadhan Sangh (Association of Practitioners): Recognizing the need for organized spiritual practice in a world increasingly swayed by materialism, Acharya Hastimalji envisioned and inspired the formation of the Sadhan Sangh. This was not merely an individualistic pursuit but a collective endeavor.

  • Target Audience: His aim was to create a category of individuals who, while living as householders, were elevated beyond the entanglements of worldly life. These individuals would live a life free from addictions, adhere to the principles of Shravaka Dharma (lay follower's dharma), dedicate their lives to societal upliftment and the propagation of Jainism, and spread the teachings of Lord Mahavir both domestically and internationally.
  • Integration of Knowledge and Action: A core objective of the Sadhan Sangh was to ensure the integration and harmony of knowledge (Jnana) and action (Kriya). Acharya Hastimalji stressed that knowledge without action is incomplete and advocated for a balanced approach.
  • Establishment and Objectives: The Sadhan Sangh was formally established in 2034 Vikram Samvat, with the author being entrusted with its leadership. The Sangh's three primary objectives were:
    1. To develop practices of self-study, spiritual discipline, and social service within the practitioner community.
    2. To form a segment between monks/nuns and lay followers who would lead a more renounced life than ordinary householders and propagate Jainism globally.
    3. To make the services of this practitioner group available for the betterment of society and religion.
  • Code of Conduct for Practitioners: An essential code of conduct was established for all practitioners, including:
    • Faith in Arihants, Nirgranth gurus, and the dharma as expounded by Kevalis.
    • Renunciation of the seven deadly vices (sapta kuvyasan).
    • Regular practice of Samayika (equanimity practice) daily.
    • Living with integrity.
    • Practicing celibacy (non-adultery and contentment with one's spouse).
    • Abstaining from night meals.
    • Contemplation of the 14 vows and three aspirations, participation in sponsored spiritual camps, and daily self-study.
  • Categories of Practitioners: Three categories of practitioners were defined: Sadhak (practitioner), Vishishta Sadhak (special practitioner), and Param Sadhak (supreme practitioner), each with specific rules for self-study, spiritual discipline, and social service. Currently, the Sangh has 56 members.
  • Activities: Members engage in daily self-study, meditation, silence, austerities, and conquest of passions while at home. They also dedicate time to social service, including practices like Paushadh Vrata.
  • Camp Sponsorship: One to two spiritual camps are organized annually, focusing on meditation and other practices. These five-day camps involve practitioners living in solitude, engaging in self-study, meditation, austerities, silence, and the conquest of passions, with theoretical introductions to meditation techniques. Special camps have been held on cultivating equanimity, controlling senses, mind, and passions.
  • Religious Propagation Tours: Over the years, practitioners and self-studiers have undertaken tours in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, awakening interest in prayer gatherings, religious classes, self-study, and spiritual practice in villages and towns. They have also worked to strengthen the principles of non-violence and encourage the renunciation of vices and social malpractices like dowry.

• Acharya's Conception of Sadhana: Acharya Hastimalji's core concept of sadhana was deeply rooted in its spiritual essence. He defined sadhana as the practice of diverting a life moving towards unfavorable paths back towards one's true nature. He elaborated that sadhana involves channeling outward-moving tendencies, caused by attachment to truth, impulsiveness, strong passions, and negligence, towards the pure, innate self through consistent practice. He emphasized the necessity of both external and internal boundaries in the field of sadhana, highlighting their interdependence. He believed that without controlling desires, knowledge and other virtues would be lost like straws in a flood. He also stated that virtues naturally arise with renunciation and detachment, much like sunlight follows dawn.

• Sadhana as Practice: Acharya Hastimalji viewed sadhana as a form of practice, drawing an analogy with the constant practice of circus animals to illustrate the potential achievements in human life through spiritual discipline.

• The Importance of Knowledge and Conduct: He believed that knowledge is the prerequisite for engaging in sadhana. He identified attachment and possession as major obstacles on the path of practice, likening excessive possession to a snake's shedding that blinds it. He asserted that the strength derived from knowledge coupled with renunciation elevates a practitioner. He also stressed that character purification (achar shuddhi) is impossible without purity of thought (vichar shuddhi). He defined right faith (samyak darshan) as discerning between right and wrong, worthy and unworthy. Regarding right conduct (samyak charitra), he stated that knowledge is not fully meaningful without action.

• Emphasis on Shaman (Calming) over Daman (Suppression): According to Jain philosophy, Acharya Hastimalji favored shaman (calming or pacifying the mind and senses) over daman (suppression). He believed that religious ethics place greater faith in shaman, which addresses the root causes of mental tendencies rather than just the symptoms, leading to lasting effects. However, he acknowledged that suppression, like through fasting as atonement, is sometimes necessary for immediate needs, with the ultimate goal still being the refinement of the practitioner's tendencies through education.

• Fundamental Characteristics of Sadhana Practice:

  1. Wholeness (Samagrata): Acharya Hastimalji advocated for a holistic approach to sadhana, encompassing the mind, speech, and body. He believed that practicing all three leads to increased spiritual strength, fame, and societal respect. The Sadhan Sangh members currently practice mind through meditation, speech through silence, and body through austerities. He particularly emphasized the integrated practice of knowledge, perception, and conduct, giving equal importance to knowledge and action. He stated that the well-being of individuals, society, nations, and the world is possible only through the triad of right knowledge, right perception, and right conduct.
  2. Collectivism or Societal Focus (Sanghparakta or Samajparakta): He introduced a revolutionary dimension to sadhana by advocating for it to be not just individualistic but also collective and societal. He drew attention to self-study and spiritual practice as a form of social or collective duty. He believed that individual inspiration can wane in an adverse family or societal environment. Conversely, strong family traditions and a supportive community facilitate easier adherence to religious principles. He emphasized the importance of collective dharma for societal stability and the practice of individual dharma. He suggested incorporating practices like remembering the Divine, visiting gurus, and self-study as daily routines, similar to the Sikh practice of maintaining a beard as a community norm.
  3. Purity and Rigorous Self-Discipline (Shuddhta or Nirdoshta and Kathor Atmanushasan): Acharya Hastimalji was a strong proponent of purity and flawlessness in sadhana. He believed the goal of sadhana is to rectify vices and make life impeccable. He stressed the importance of conduct over propagation in a seminar. He instructed his disciples to prioritize the quest for and purity of place and food before his passing. He emphasized the importance of simplicity and moderation in food, along with self-study, to ensure immaculate sadhana. He also stressed rigorous self-discipline or atonement to prevent lapses.
  4. Experimental Approach (Prayogshilta): Possessing a scientific outlook, Acharya Hastimalji encouraged experimentation with various spiritual practices. This led to successful collective experiments in cultivating equanimity, controlling senses, and mastering the mind during the Sadhak camps, resulting in significant changes in the practitioners' lives. He believed that no practice, including sadhana, should be imposed, and individuals should choose suitable methods through experimentation.

• Life Conduct and Sadhana: He encouraged the integration of sadhana into daily life beyond just during camps. He advocated for rules that promote a flawless daily life, such as refraining from slander and not committing betrayal. He also promoted practices like performing Samayika in religious places, avoiding the establishment of fixed settlements during marriages, and abstaining from vices, reflecting his broad vision for societal upliftment.

• The Need for Sadhana: As an advocate for self-study, Acharya Hastimalji championed both the study of scriptures (Shruta Dharma) and righteous conduct (Charitra Dharma), believing knowledge is incomplete without action. He used the analogy of a bird needing two wings to fly, explaining that humans require both scriptural knowledge and righteous conduct to progress spiritually. He highlighted the neglect of spiritual nourishment compared to physical sustenance, likening the body to a vehicle and the soul to its driver, emphasizing that fueling the vehicle while starving the driver leads to failure. He aptly stated that sadhana is essential for elevating life and igniting the flame of knowledge and action within it.

• The Nature of Sadhana: Acharya Hastimalji outlined three general levels of sadhana:

  1. Improving Understanding (or Attaining Right Perception): The first duty of a practitioner is to not mistake irreligion for religion or falsehood for truth. Discerning between true and false saints is also crucial. The initial stage involves disliking sinful actions and developing the desire to renounce them.
  2. Partial Renunciation (Desh Virati or Incomplete Renunciation): This involves setting limits on sinful activities or making partial renunciations when complete renunciation is not yet possible, representing the life of a householder.
  3. Complete Renunciation (Sadhu Life): This is the path of a monk or nun.

  He prioritized non-violence as the first principle of sadhana, followed by truth. He intended for the renunciation of all five sources of influx of karma (asravas) and eighteen types of sins. He inspired practitioners in camps to renounce these and engage in meditation while observing the vow of compassion (dayavrata).

• Daily Practices and Meditation: He advised a disciplined daily routine involving self-reflection and resolution in the morning, followed by testing and atonement for self-correction. For a calm mind, he recommended waking up before dawn, mentally saluting the Arihants 12 times for mental purification, performing trikal samayika (three daily equanimity practices), self-observation, consuming moderate and sattvic food, practicing the observer attitude, and maintaining cheerfulness. To reduce physical restlessness, he suggested kayotsarga (body-stillness) and meditation, involving relaxation in kayotsarga, chanting the Navkar mantra as many times as possible in one breath, and contemplating impermanence to refine the mind.

• Integrated Sadhana for Sangh Members: He provided a comprehensive and integrated sadhana program for Sadhan Sangh members to follow at home:

  • Morning routine: 12 salutations to Arihants, contemplation of four loggasa verses, contemplation of 14 vows and three aspirations.
  • 15 minutes of meditation.
  • Practice of conquering passions.
  • One hour of silence daily.
  • Renunciation of one desirable food item daily.
  • Observance of celibacy (according to one's limits).
  • Monthly fasts, compassion vows, and Paushadh (depending on the practitioner's category).
  • Half an hour of self-study daily.
  • Two or more days per month dedicated to social service (according to the practitioner's category).

• Thoughts on Meditation: Acharya Hastimalji described meditation as a practice that significantly contributes to shifting the mind's movement from downward to upward and from outward to inward. He considered it internal austerity, purifying thoughts and changing their direction. While Vedic tradition defines yoga/meditation as the cessation of mental modifications, the Jain perspective views meditation as concentrating and contemplating on a single subject after withdrawing mental modifications from all other things. He emphasized meditation that leads to a state of peaceful absorption in contemplation of the supreme element. He outlined four stages of meditation: reducing mental restlessness after lessening attachment to worldly objects; self-reflection ("What have I done? What remains to be done?"); contemplation of one's true self; and achieving nirvikalpa samadhi by eradicating attachment and aversion. He considered being sense-controlled and having subdued passions essential for meditation, believing one is not eligible for meditation until the influx of karmas like violence, desire, and anger are subdued.

• Meditation Guidance: Members of the Sadhan Sangh were guided to contemplate the virtues of the Panch Parmeshthi (five supreme beings) in meditation, aspiring to become like them. They were also instructed to contemplate the impermanence, helplessness, the cyclical nature of existence, singularity, and otherness. He believed that various meditation techniques are merely practices during the period of training, and true stability is achieved through mental purification driven by a spirit of detachment. He stressed that practitioners benefit only when they internalize sadhana, as it is ultimately an experience and realization, not mere intellectual understanding.