Jain Sadhna - Book Summary | JainGPT

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Jain Sadhna" by Rishabhdas Ranka, based on the provided pages:

Core Premise: The Pursuit of Happiness and the Jain Path

The book begins by stating that all beings desire happiness but often fail to achieve it due to misconceptions, ignorance, greed, foolishness, or imbalances. It posits that the true path to happiness is illuminated by experienced seekers and enlightened beings. The fundamental Jain understanding is that suffering originates from these internal flaws and that the soul itself possesses the inherent power to attain happiness, being of the nature of existence, consciousness, and bliss. However, this power is often wasted. Jain Sadhna (practice) is presented as the means to channel this innate power towards its rightful purpose.

Jain Sadhna: A Path to Liberation from Karmic Bondage

Jain Sadhna is presented within the context of three major Indian spiritual traditions: Vedic, Buddhist, and Jain. While Vedic tradition emphasizes Yoga (as per Patanjali) for liberation from suffering and Buddhist tradition points to the Samadhi-marga for Nirvana, Jain Sadhna focuses on liberation from karmic bondage and its consequences.

The Nature of Suffering in Jainism

Jainism identifies karma as the root cause of suffering. The soul, covered by karmic particles, forgets its true nature and develops an attachment to the physical body. This leads individuals to prioritize worldly pleasures and resort to wrong means to achieve them. Crucially, Jainism emphasizes that causing suffering to others does not lead to one's own happiness. The failure to recognize the inherent equality of all beings leads to harming others, which is considered a form of ignorance that perpetuates the cycle of birth and death and increases suffering.

The Goal of Jain Sadhna: Removing Karmic Veil and Manifesting True Self

The primary aim of Jain Sadhna is to remove the veil of karma from the soul. This removal awakens the dormant powers of the soul, enabling the individual to discern between true happiness and fleeting worldly pleasures. It leads to the ability to peacefully endure suffering inflicted by others without becoming agitated or distressed.

The Stages of Human Development and Siddhahood

The text describes a progression of human development. Even after removing some karmic veils, the individual must still experience the fruits of past karma, including physical sensations. True liberation requires the shedding of specific karmic influences like ayu (lifespan), nama (name), gotra (lineage), and vedaniya (feeling) karmas. Once these are removed and the individual attains pure knowledge, they cease to form new karmic bonds, recognizing their true self and becoming full of virtues. This is considered the full development of humanity and the ultimate achievement of human life.

The text categorizes the liberated beings (Siddhas) into two types:

Siddhas: Those who achieve their own spiritual perfection.
Tirthankara Siddhas: Those who, having achieved their own perfection, also guide others towards spiritual growth, establishing spiritual orders and showing the path to liberation for the welfare of all.

The Nature of Karmic Veil and the Practice of Sadhana

Karmas that obstruct sight and knowledge are called moheniya (delusion-inducing) and jñānāvaraṇa (knowledge-obscuring). Their removal, and the prevention of new karmic bonds, constitutes Sadhana. The fundamental practice involves restraining wrongdoing through mind, speech, and body.

Mental Restraint (Man-samyam): This involves not harboring negative or harmful thoughts, even towards enemies. It means viewing those who cause harm as contributors to one's own tolerance.
Verbal Restraint (Vach-samyam): This naturally follows mental restraint, leading to truthful, measured, beneficial, and pleasant speech.
Physical Restraint (Kay-samyam): When the mind and speech are controlled, actions are also guided to benefit others, rather than causing harm. This practice is performed without attachment to the results.

Key Practices (Vrats) in Jain Sadhana

To fortify the path of self-development, Jain Sadhana emphasizes certain vows (Vrats):

Ahimsa (Non-violence): This encompasses having a sense of self in relation to others.
Brahmacharya (Celibacy/Chastity): Essential for the full development of inner powers.
Aparigraha (Non-possession/Simplicity): This involves limiting desires and possessions. Without cutting the bonds of craving, one cannot limit possessions, and without limited possessions, energy cannot be directed towards self-development.
Satya (Truthfulness): Practicing restraint in speech.
Asteya (Non-stealing): Not taking what rightfully belongs to others through exploitation or injustice.

These vows are seen as analogous to the Yamas and Niyamas in Yoga and Buddhism, highlighting their universal importance in spiritual practice.

Tapas (Austerities) in Jain Sadhana

While Yoga employs Asanas and Pranayama to prepare the body, Jain Sadhana emphasizes Tapas to discipline the body and mind. Tapas is not merely physical suffering but a means to make the body and mind suitable for Sadhana. It is divided into:

Bahya Tapas (External Austerities): Six types are mentioned:
1. Anashan (Fasting): Essential for controlling consumption and redirecting the energy spent on digestion towards self-reflection. It's considered being close to the soul.
2. Avamodarya (Moderate Eating): Consuming only what is necessary to avoid complacency and maintain vigilance in Sadhana.
3. Vrittiparisankhyan (Regulated Consumption): Limiting the types of food consumed to overcome attachment to taste.
4. Rasparityag (Renunciation of Desires/Tastes): Giving up desirable tastes to control sensory impulses and vices. The principle is to eat to live, not live to eat, maintaining a healthy mind.
5. Viviktashayyasana (Seclusion/Solitary Living): Residing in an environment conducive to spiritual practice.
6. Kayaklesh (Body Mortification): Making the body tolerant to hardships like heat and cold to maintain a state of constant vigilance and equanimity.
Abhyantara Tapas (Internal Austerities): These are considered more significant than external austerities for purification and self-development.
1. Prayashchitta (Atonement/Repentance): Self-criticism and purification of actions and thoughts. Lord Mahavir integrated this into daily life, emphasizing regular introspection and resolving not to repeat mistakes.
2. Vinaya (Humility/Respect): Counteracting ego, which hinders the reception of knowledge from the learned and experienced. Humility fosters a continuous desire to learn and respect for those with virtues. This includes Jñāna-vinaya (respect for knowledge and those who possess it), Darśana-vinaya (steadfast faith in principles), and Chāritra-vinaya (practicing according to true principles). Humility is considered the root of liberation.
3. Seva (Service): Serving others enhances one's inner spiritual power. The practice involves reducing one's own needs and being useful to others. Vaiyāvr̥ttya is the term used for service, with ten types of service described as being rendered as and where needed.
4. Svādhyāya (Self-Study): Studying the words of experienced individuals and scriptures is crucial for self-awareness and progress. It involves contemplation and clear recitation of learned material and seeking guidance from knowledgeable individuals to resolve doubts. Svādhyāya is seen as associating with great souls of the past.
5. Vyutsarga (Renunciation/Letting Go): This involves the abandonment of attachment, ego, passion, aversion, anger, and other vices.
  - Bahya Vyutsarga (External Renunciation): Letting go of attachments to home, property, wealth, family, etc.
  - Abhyantara Vyutsarga (Internal Renunciation): Abandoning internal vices like passion, aversion, anger, and ego.

Meditation (Dhyana) in Jain Sadhana

After preparing the ground through the aforementioned practices (analogous to the eight limbs of Yoga), Jain Sadhana progresses to Dhyana (Meditation), which is crucial for the destruction of karma. Meditation helps to focus the mind, which is naturally inclined to dwell on various subjects.

Jainism categorizes Dhyana into two main types:

Ashubha Dhyana (Inauspicious Meditation):
1. Arta Dhyana (Grievous Meditation): Dwelling on the desire for pleasure, aversion to pain, illness, or the longing for possessions. This leads to the waste of energy and is considered detrimental.
2. Raudra Dhyana (Fierce Meditation): Involves continuous contemplation of violence, falsehood, exploitation of others, and excessive accumulation of possessions. It stems from cruelty and selfishness.
Shubha Dhyana (Auspicious Meditation):
1. Dharma Dhyana (Righteous Meditation): Meditation aimed at cultivating and strengthening equanimity. It can involve contemplating the words, images, or idols of those who have conquered inner enemies like passion and aversion. This includes self-introspection, identifying and removing flaws, and reflecting on the path of truth. It also involves contemplating the transient nature of the world and its constituents, which fosters detachment.
2. Shukla Dhyana (Pure Meditation): This is the highest form of meditation, attained after Dharma Dhyana. It involves deep contemplation of the distinction between inert and conscious substances and their subtle relationships. This leads to unwavering righteousness, the destruction of delusion-inducing karmas, and the realization that the soul and matter are distinct, even if temporarily united. By focusing the mind on one element without distraction, inner stillness is achieved, leading to the awakening of dormant mental powers. This process removes the veils of ignorance, allowing the light of knowledge to spread.

The Culmination: Shaileshi Avastha and Siddhahood

The text describes a state of deep concentration where external physical actions like breathing continue naturally without binding the soul. The meditator becomes unshakeable, like a mountain. This is known as the Shaileshi Avastha (state of being like a mountain) in Jain Sadhana. In this state, all internal and external subtle and gross activities cease, mental processes are suspended, and the soul becomes fully absorbed in its true, divine nature. This is the end of Sadhana, and the individual becomes a Siddha (perfected soul).