Jain Yogna Margo

This document, titled "Jain Yogna Margo" (Paths of Jain Yoga) from Jain University, is a comprehensive treatise on the concept and practice of yoga within Jainism. It elucidates yoga not merely as a physical discipline but as a profound spiritual path leading to liberation (moksha).

Here's a summary of its key points:

The Root of Suffering and the Promise of Yoga:

• The text begins by identifying desire (ichha) as the root of suffering (samsara) and the cause of all misfortunes. Our soul, bound by karma since beginningless time, constantly generates new desires, spending life pursuing them, only to experience fleeting happiness followed by inevitable sorrow or disappointment.
• It draws an analogy of the lotus (pankaj-kamal), which is born in mud but remains untouched by it. Similarly, a life lived in the world can become lotus-like through the worship of Ratnatrayi (the three jewels: right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct) and the practice of Samvara (cessation of influx of karma) through the path of yoga.

The Essence of Jain Yoga:

• Yoga is defined as moving towards moksha (sumaran, which means liberation or refuge).
• It advocates for cessation of desires (ichha ni nirodh-rup yog) instead of fulfilling them, and for the effort to not fulfill desires (ichha ni apurti-rup yatna) rather than striving to fulfill them.
• It stresses detachment from the body (dehadyas) and focusing on the self-soul (swa-atma), urging the practitioner to see, know, and relish the self and remain in one's true nature.
• Yoga is compared to an axe (kuthado) that cuts down the creeping vines of calamities and the roots of karma that have attached to the soul since beginningless time, thus purifying the soul.

The Impact and Nature of Yoga:

• The effect of yoga is graduated (taratamta), depending on the individual's practice.
• Karma and Experience: The text explains that the experience of pleasure (shata) or pain (ashata) arises from the fruition of vedaniya karma. Attachment (rati) to pleasure and aversion (arathi) to pain lead to bondage. When karma is experienced without attachment or aversion, it is merely experiencing (vedan), which leads to karma nirjara (eradication of karma). Ordinary experience, however, leads to karma bandhan (bondage of karma).
• Equanimity: Great yogis, even amidst immense suffering, remain unperturbed, manifesting the essence of equanimity (samatva).
• Gajsukulmal Example: The text recounts the story of Gajsukulmal, who, despite his head being set ablaze with embers, remained absorbed in meditation, experiencing the suffering only as sensation without attachment or aversion, demonstrating the pinnacle of spiritual strength.

Yoga vs. Rituals and Magic:

• Yoga is distinct from mantras and tantras, which are used for worldly gains and attractions.
• Jain yoga is a powerful means to "attract" the wealth of moksha through the practice of right faith, knowledge, and conduct, achieved through concentration of the mind. It's described as the "wealth-possessor" that brings about moksha- Lakshmi.

The Powers of Yoga:

• Yoga is the union of three strengths: mental strength, verbal strength, and physical strength.
• It burns away the "dust" of karma within, the accumulated "heaps of passions" (kashay), making the soul radiant.
• It destroys the accumulated darkness of sins (pap-punj) that cloud self-knowledge, revealing the soul's pure consciousness.
• The text quotes verses (shlokas) attributing the destruction of great sins to the power of yoga, likening it to a strong wind scattering clouds.
• Spiritual Powers (Laddhis): Yoga leads to the manifestation of various siddhis or spiritual powers, such as:
  • Charan Vidya: Ability to move freely through water, land, or space.
  • Ashivish Laddhi: Power to bestow curses or blessings.
  • Avadhi Jnana: Clairvoyance, the direct knowledge of subtle or distant objects.
  • Mano Paryaya Jnana: Telepathy, the ability to know the thoughts of others.
  • Anima-adi Laddhis: Various yogic powers.
• Transformation of the Body: The impurities of the body (like phlegm, waste, urine) can be transformed into divine medicines, and the body's touch can cure diseases. The nails, hair, and teeth gain medicinal properties. This is known as Sarvosadhi Laddhi.

Types of Yoga: The text outlines various classifications of yoga:

• Sadhanayoga and Siddhiyog: The yoga of practice and the yoga of attainment.
• Avanchak Trik Yoga: The unfailing triad of yoga:
  • Yogavanchak: Yoga that never deceives or fails.
  • Kriyavanchak: Actions that are never in vain and always lead to spiritual benefit.
  • Phalavanchak: The fruition of actions that is unfailing and yields immense results.
• Other classifications: Ichhayog, Shastrayog, Samyog; Gnanayoga, Karmayoga, Bhaktiyoga.
• Five types of attainment: Sthanyog, Varnayog, Arthayog, Alambanyog, Anlambanyog.

The Ultimate Goal: Moksha:

• While the various siddhis and powers (laddhis) are beautiful and pleasurable, they are not the ultimate goal.
• The true happiness lies in achieving Moksha (liberation), which is the direct realization of the soul's true nature – pure consciousness, bliss, and existence.
• The Kalyana-Vriksha (wish-fulfilling tree) of yoga is for attaining moksha.
• The text emphasizes remaining detached from siddhis and powers and focusing solely on liberation.

The Yoga Path as a Temple:

• Yoga is described as a temple with various components:
  • Foundation: Right Faith (Samyakshraddha).
  • Main Gate: Ratnatrayi (Right Faith, Knowledge, Conduct).
  • Walls: Charity, Discipline, Austerity, Devotion (Dan-Shil-Tap-Bhav).
  • Entrance: Four Bhavanas (contemplations).
  • Fortress: Nine barriers of Brahmacharya.
  • Steps: 14 Stages of Spiritual Development (Gunasthana).
  • Floors: Partial and full vows.
  • Pillars: 140 pillars representing various aspects of practice.
  • Sanctuaries: The three jewels (Ratnatrayi).
  • Shrines: Ten Yati-dharmas (monastic disciplines).
  • Lintels: Twelve Bhavanas (contemplations).
  • Roof: Complete renunciation (Sarvavirati).
  • Dome: Seven types of conduct.
  • Apexes: Equanimity (Samata).
  • Finial: Omniscience (Kevaljnana).
  • Flag: The flag of Dharma-Sannyas Yoga.

The Power of Yoga in Action:

• The text highlights that yoga can even mitigate extreme sins and protect individuals from severe karmic consequences.
• It encourages controlling desires related to eating, drinking, sleeping, mixing, and speech to enhance inner light and meditation.
• Silence, non-attachment, and learning to let go are presented as key practices for achieving inner peace and happiness through yoga.

In essence, "Jain Yogna Margo" presents Jain yoga as a profound, transformative path that begins with the renunciation of desires and culminates in the realization of the soul's pure, liberated state, empowered by the cultivation of inner strength, equanimity, and spiritual knowledge.