Sadhak Jano Mate Vivikta Sthanni Aavashyakta - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the Jain text "Sadhak Jano mate Vivikta Sthanni Aavashyakta" (The Necessity of a Solitary Place for Sadhaks) by Punyavijay:

The text emphasizes the critical importance of solitude and a secluded environment for spiritual practitioners (sadhaks). It argues that a solitary, undisturbed, and free-from-attachments place is the most beneficial for those seeking spiritual advancement. Such isolation provides the strength of body, mind, and heart necessary for spiritual progress.

Reasons for Solitude:

Preventing Mental Disturbance: Places where the mind is disturbed, where various thoughts and speculations arise, and where residing leads to a decline in restraint are detrimental to a sadhak. Dwelling in or near such occupied places is not beneficial.
Avoiding the Influence of Others: The text quotes Acharya Yashovijayji, stating that association with people leads to the restlessness of speech, which in turn causes the mind to become agitated and leads to mental confusion and various thought processes. Therefore, monks and ascetics should avoid the company of ignorant people.
Escaping Maya and Attachment: Associating with people traps a sadhak in the web of illusion (maya). This entanglement fosters attachment and aversion (raag-dwesh), which are identified as the root cause of worldly existence (bhava). Hence, the company of humans should be avoided.
Maintaining Equanimity: Close relationships with householders (laypeople) create significant obstacles on the path of restraint for those who are dedicated to self-welfare. Excessive association with men and women makes it difficult for a sadhu to maintain equanimity (samabhav), leading to attachment, aversion, delusion, and occasionally even the awakening of desires. This can corrupt precious qualities like knowledge, meditation, and celibacy, causing the sadhu to become weak and lax.
Protecting Brahmacharya (Celibacy): The text references the nine vows for protecting celibacy prescribed by the Bhagwan. A key aspect of these vows is residing prudently in places that are faultless, blameless, and free from provocations that might awaken desires (such as the presence of women, animals, or eunuchs). This is referred to as "vivikta shayya" (solitary dwelling).
Facilitating Knowledge and Meditation: Past great souls chose such solitary places to spend their time in knowledge and meditation. The current prevalent situation, characterized by close associations with householders and the resulting complexities, requires significant improvement. Sadhus dedicated to restraint should first choose faultless and solitary residences for the protection and strengthening of their self-restraint. This allows for easier engagement in knowledge, meditation, and other practices with a stable and peaceful mind. Residing in places with various attachments can lead to slips in mind, speech, and actions. Engaging in unnecessary conversations with householders, stemming from close association, prevents self-welfare and hinders the protection of a sadhu's restraint. A strong desire to protect and strengthen restraint can be achieved by residing in solitary places.

Exceptions and Advanced Practitioners:

The text acknowledges that for those who have achieved complete control over their mind, speech, and body, and who have attained complete absorption in their true self, the situation is different. For such stable yogis, villages and forests are perceived with equal equanimity. They are like friends to the world and can achieve their father's (self's) welfare.

Illustrative Examples and the Role of Triggers:

The text further delves into the merits and demerits of dwelling in deserted or inhabited places, using examples:

Wise sadhaks favor peaceful, solitary places as they aid in meditation and the practice of restraint, and calm attachment, aversion, and delusion.
Those who wish to cultivate their soul, study scriptures, and meditate find places free from the company of humans very useful.
Individuals who are tired of worldly wandering, have gained self-awareness through the guru's grace, have learned methods to purify and stabilize their minds, and are ready to act accordingly find places free from humans, animals, women, and eunuchs to be pleasant.
The Power of Triggers: Even after renouncing worldly things and taking vows to control anger and other passions, these tendencies remain dormant. Vows alone don't eliminate karma, but adherence to vows gradually neutralizes the effects of karma. However, strong external triggers can cause latent karmas to manifest prematurely. If the sadhak is not fully prepared or lacks the strength to neutralize these arisen karmas, they can be led astray. Therefore, it is crucial to stay away from such triggers.
Analogy of Fire: Just as fire in a place without grass extinguishes itself, similarly, in the absence of triggers, latent karma remains suppressed. As self-strength grows, the power of karma to cause downfall diminishes. During moments of self-awareness, arisen karma cannot exert its full force against the soul's essence.
Analogy of the King: A powerful king, caught off guard, might close his city gates when attacked, preparing defenses within. Similarly, when the soul lacks the strength for equanimity or karmic destruction, the enemy of delusion attacks. In such times, by taking vows, reciting mantras, performing austerities, adhering to rules, engaging in knowledge and meditation, and retreating to solitary places devoid of triggers for attachment, aversion, and delusion, latent karmas can be suppressed or partially destroyed. In this period, the soul gains strength through purification.
Vows as Fortifications: Taking vows is like building a fort against the enemy of delusion. It doesn't destroy the enemy but provides a refuge. During this time, the soul experiences less disturbance from delusion due to the absence of negative triggers. It gathers strength through practices like vows, austerities, and meditation. This accumulated strength is then used to neutralize arisen karmas, thus destroying karma. Not binding new karmas and experiencing existing ones with equanimity is equivalent to neutralizing their effects.

Advanced Souls and Solitude:

Souls as powerful as Lord Mahavir can experience arisen karmas and neutralize them. They can also proactively bring latent karmas to the surface through triggers and then destroy them with equanimity. For such capable souls, the purpose of residing in solitude is not to fear karma or to seek less effective means of overcoming it, but rather to ensure that human interference does not disrupt their self-meditation and other practices for karmic destruction. For this reason, solitary places are particularly useful for such great souls.

Historical Examples of Solitude for Spiritual Gain:

The text provides numerous examples of great souls who achieved spiritual progress in solitude:

Shuk Raja stayed in a solitary cave on Shatrunjay mountain for six months, chanting and meditating on the Supreme Being.
Lord Neminath stayed in the Girnar region for self-meditation.
Lord Mahavir meditated in empty houses, cremation grounds, mountains, caves, and deserted forests.
Mahatma Anathi Muni meditated in dense tree groves.
Kshatriya Muni and Gardabhali Muni meditated in peaceful forest regions.

Negative Impacts of Lack of Solitude:

The text cites the example of Mahatma Prasannachandra Rajarshi, who, due to the absence of peaceful surroundings and hearing praise and criticism through messengers of King Shrenik, entered into wrathful meditation (raudra dhyana) and accumulated karmas for the seventh hell. His meditation shifted from Dharma and Shukla dhyana to Art and Raudra dhyana. Only when his meditation shifted again due to other triggers did he attain omniscience.
Shri Nemi Muni's meditation in the Girnar cave was also disrupted by the thought of Rajumati, but Rajumati's self-awareness helped him stabilize.
Mahatma Nandi's Dharma dhyana was disrupted by a prostitute.
Mahatma Damsaar Muni's self-meditation turned into anger due to a Brahmin showing him a heated path on the wall of a village house.

These examples illustrate how good triggers can awaken self-strength and bad triggers can lead to falling from the spiritual path. Therefore, the need for solitary places for contemplative souls is undeniable.

Conclusion on the Importance of Solitude:

Good intellect, equanimity, grasp of truth, control of mind, speech, and body, absence of opposing triggers, presence of beneficial triggers, renunciation of attachment and aversion, and self-awareness are all strong causes for the soul's purification. In the same way, a solitary place for introspection is an excellent causal factor.
Just as the moon influences the ocean tides, rain increases river levels, infatuation increases attachment, irregular worship increases illness, and excessive indulgence in sense objects increases suffering, association with humans increases vices, attachments, and activities.
Similar to how wood fuels fire, heat increases thirst, and illness increases pain, human company increases thoughts and worries.
Renunciation of poison, solitary places, true knowledge, a worry-free mind, a healthy body, and control of mind, speech, and body are all strong causes for monks to attain liberation through meditation.
To eliminate speculation, renunciation of company is necessary. Human company invariably reminds one of something. Just as entangled scorpions cause pain, speculations pain the soul. Where there are speculations, how can there be peace for the soul? If external renunciation brings such happiness, why not experience true happiness by engaging with the self? Ignorant people seek happiness in external things, while the wise find happiness in renunciation.

The text concludes by praising those who practice intense internal and external austerities like study and meditation through the practice of solitude. These seekers of liberation are blessed, virtuous, venerable, and foremost among the learned, constantly engrossed in pure self-knowledge. Solitary places that do not hinder knowledge and meditation are truly called nectar.

It reiterates the blessing upon great souls who reside in caves, on the banks of rivers or seas, in cremation grounds, in forests, and other such peaceful regions for the perfection of pure self-meditation. The absence of such peaceful surroundings leads to contact with humans, causing mental agitation through their speech and actions. This engenders attachment and aversion, leading to conflict and ultimately the destruction of purity. Without purity, proper contemplation of the pure self is not possible, and consequently, the infinite powers of the soul, which emerge from the destruction of karma, do not manifest. Therefore, solitary places are recognized by great souls as destroyers of conflict and the cause of supreme peace for seeking yogis.

The final part touches upon the contemplation of other substances (pardravya), explaining how understanding their nature helps direct the mind inward and eventually leads to experiencing the self.