Sadhna Ki Sapranta Kayotsarga

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Sadhna ki Sapranta Kayotsarga" by Rameshmuni, focusing on the concept of Kayotsarga:

Overall Theme: The text emphasizes that Jain spiritual practice (Sadhana) is multifaceted and aims for detachment (vitaragta). It asserts that true spiritual progress lies in internal development rather than external achievements or possessions. The core focus of the text is on Kayotsarga, a crucial practice within Jainism, explaining its meaning, purpose, and various aspects.

The Nature of Jain Sadhana:

• Jain spiritual practice is described as aiming for detachment from worldly things.
• Those who identify with external attributes like wealth, knowledge, beauty, happiness, status, or suffering are considered "exoteric" (bahiratma) in Jainism, lacking true self-awareness.
• True spiritual realization occurs when one understands the transient and insubstantial nature of the world, leading to introversion and renunciation of external attachments.
• This realization awakens discernment (bhedvigyan) and self-reliance, allowing one to transcend the ego and explore inner potentials.
• Sadhana is presented as a path to the highest spiritual state, a vast ocean that can be explored infinitely.
• The primary objective of Jain Sadhana is progress, upliftment, and ascent, not destruction or decline. Any practice that doesn't lead to introspection is considered a transgression (viradhana).

The Six Sadhana Practices (Shat-avashyak): The text introduces the six essential Jain practices (Shat-avashyak) as the "lifeblood" of Jain Sadhana, essential for purification and overcoming flaws. These are:

1. Samayika (Equanimity): Cultivating a state of balance and mental equanimity.
2. Chaturvinshtistav (Praise of the Twenty-Four Tirthankaras): Glorifying the virtues of the Tirthankaras.
3. Vandan (Salutation): Reverential salutations to spiritual preceptors.
4. Pratikraman (Confession/Repentance): Critically examining and confessing one's faults and shortcomings.
5. Kayotsarga (Abandonment of the Body): Renouncing attachment to the physical body.
6. Pratyakhyan (Renunciation): Giving up attachment to material possessions and desires, such as food.

The Importance and Meaning of Kayotsarga:

• Definition: Kayotsarga is literally the "abandonment of the body" or "giving up the body." It is the practice of renouncing the sense of possession and attachment to the physical body, even momentarily.
• Purpose:
  • Purification and Penance: Kayotsarga is a form of penance (prayaschitta) that purifies sins. It's a way to cleanse oneself of karmic impurities.
  • Healing of Spiritual Wounds: Just as medicine heals physical wounds, Kayotsarga acts as a balm for the "wounds" of transgressions (atichara) that may occur in the practice of vows. It makes the "body of discipline" whole and strong.
  • Detachment from the Body: The primary goal is to reduce attachment (mamata) to the body, which is seen as a major obstacle to spiritual progress. The text highlights how attachment to life and the fear of death bind individuals.
  • Self-Discernment: Kayotsarga fosters the discernment between the self (soul) and the non-self (body and other possessions). The meditator realizes their true, indestructible nature and the transient nature of the body.
  • Overcoming Suffering: By understanding that attachment to external things (including the body) leads to suffering and transmigration, Kayotsarga provides a way to break free from these bonds and end all sorrows.
• Process and Internalization:
  • Stillness: It begins with stilling the physical body, stopping its movement and restlessness.
  • Inward Turn: When the body becomes still, consciousness returns to its true abode, turning inward. External distractions cease, allowing for introspection.
  • Breaking the Connection: Kayotsarga breaks the link between the inner and outer worlds, stopping the influx of external atoms.
  • Calming the Mind: Through Kayotsarga, the mind becomes steady, free from agitation, and detached from sensory pleasures and aversions.
  • Non-Attachment: The practice involves renouncing the ego and "mine-ness" (mamata) with respect to the body and all possessions.

Types and Aspects of Kayotsarga:

• Dravya Kayotsarga (Material/External Kayotsarga): This involves the physical stillness of the body.

  • Body Stillness: Preventing physical movement and attachment.
  • Renunciation of Attachments: This includes renouncing specific practices, possessions (upadhi), and food/drink.

• Bhava Kayotsarga (Mental/Internal Kayotsarga): This is the core of the practice and involves the mental state.

  • Renunciation of Vices: This includes renouncing passions (kashayas – anger, pride, deceit, greed) and worldly attachments (samsara).
  • Ascent to Higher Meditations: It involves engaging in meditative states like contemplative meditation (dharma dhyana) and pure meditation (shukla dhyana), abandoning harmful meditations (arta dhyana and raudra dhyana).
  • Consciousness of the Soul: In this state, the meditator experiences the soul's inherent purity and consciousness.

• Specific Forms:

  • Dravya Vyutsarga: Leaving behind physical actions, groups of renunciates, possessions, and food/drink.
  • Bhava Vyutsarga: Developing the capacity for renunciation, letting go of sensory pleasures, the body, family, wealth, and status. This leads to a strong sense of detachment and the ability to relinquish anything when needed.
  • Kashaya Vyutsarga: Overcoming anger, pride, deceit, and greed.
  • Samsara Vyutsarga: Renouncing worldly attachments in their various forms (material, spatial, temporal, and mental). The primary focus is on renouncing mental attachments, as these are the root cause of worldly transmigration.
  • Karma Vyutsarga: Overcoming the eight types of karmas (knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, feeling-producing, deluding, lifespan, body-determining, status, and obstruction-causing).

• Methods of Practice:

  • Postures: Kayotsarga can be performed standing, sitting, or lying down.
  • Breath Control: The text emphasizes the importance of subtle, slow, and controlled breathing. It describes stages of breath awareness from natural to calm, and eventually to a state of suspended breath (kumbhaka). Rapid breathing is discouraged as it leads to fatigue.
  • Mental Focus: Achieving mental concentration is paramount.

• Types of Kayotsarga by Timeframe/Purpose:

  • Chesta Kayotsarga (Active Kayotsarga): Performed for purification from minor transgressions (e.g., during daily routines). It is temporary and acts as penance.
  • Abhibhava Kayotsarga (Overcoming Kayotsarga): Performed for prolonged introspection or during severe crises (e.g., calamities, illness, death). This is often lifelong. It includes the practice of Santhara (fasting unto death).

• Specific Practices within Kayotsarga:

  • Chaturvinshtistav Kayotsarga: Meditating on the twenty-four Tirthankaras during Kayotsarga.
  • Nishkriya Kayotsarga: Remaining motionless like a pillar, enduring hardships.
  • Pratikraman-related Kayotsarga: Practicing Kayotsarga for repentance and purification.
  • Vows and Transgressions: Performing Kayotsarga to atone for transgressions of the five great vows.

Benefits and Outcomes:

• Purity: Physical and mental purification.
• Clarity and Sharpness: Enhanced intellect and mental focus.
• Tolerance: Increased capacity to endure pleasure and pain.
• Meditation: Facilitates the practice of dharma dhyana and shukla dhyana.
• Detachment: Cultivates non-possession, non-attachment, and freedom from the sense of "mine-ness."
• Inner Peace and Energy: Conserves energy and directs it towards the goal, leading to inner happiness and the flow of positive thoughts.
• Spiritual Victory: Ultimately leads to the eradication of karmic impurities, the dissolution of the illusion of self and body unity, and the attainment of liberation (moksha).

Conclusion: The text concludes by stating that Kayotsarga is not a painful or escapist practice. Instead, it is a rigorous discipline that builds unwavering resolve, tolerance, and concentration in the face of extreme hardship. By practicing Kayotsarga, the seeker achieves spiritual strength, leading to the ultimate victory over death and the attainment of the highest spiritual bliss. It is a powerful tool for shedding karmic dirt and dust from the soul, leading to purity and spiritual prosperity.