Samayik Bhav

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Samayik Bhav" by Rashmikant Shah, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Samayik Bhav (The Essence of Samayik) Author: Dr. Rashmikant Shah

This discourse, delivered during the Paryushan festival, focuses on the Jain practice of Samayik, explaining its deeper meaning and significance for householders. The author emphasizes that understanding the philosophy behind a practice yields far greater results than performing it without comprehension.

Core Argument:

The central theme is that true Samayik is not merely an outward ritual but an internal transformation. It's about cultivating specific bhavas (states of mind) that lead to the reduction of negative passions (kashayas) and the realization of equanimity and equality.

Breaking Down the Meaning of "Samayik":

The author dissects the word "Samayik" into its constituent parts: Sam + Aay + Ik.

• Sam: This signifies equality, equanimity, sameness, and peace. It's broken down into three key meanings:

  1. Shaman (Peace/Calmness): This involves the reduction and calming of negative emotions like anger, pride, deceit, and greed (kashayas). The goal is to lessen the impact of the eighteen cardinal sins. If Samayik doesn't lead to this reduction, it's considered fruitless.
  2. Neutrality (Middle Path): This refers to maintaining a balanced state amidst dualities like happiness/unhappiness, gain/loss, praise/criticism, convenience/inconvenience. It means remaining detached and observing life's events like a spectator, recognizing that the soul (Atma) is unaffected by transient external experiences.
  3. Equality (Sameness): This points to the inherent equality of all souls, irrespective of external appearances, religious labels, or affiliations. Just as space within different pots is the same, or water in different containers is fundamentally the same substance, the soul within all beings is identical. Recognizing this inherent oneness eliminates divisions and conflict.

• Aay: This means income, gain, or profit. In the context of Samayik, it refers to the "income" or benefit derived from practicing equanimity.

• Ik: This is a suffix indicating something related to. Thus, Samayik relates to the practice that brings about Sam (equanimity).

The Importance of Bhav (Internal State) over Dravya (External Rituals):

The book strongly advocates for Bhav-Samayik (Samayik with inner feeling) over Dravya-Samayik (Samayik performed with external aids and rituals). While Dravya-Samayik involves physical elements like a katu, muh patti, sthapanaji, etc., Bhav-Samayik can be practiced anywhere, anytime, with just the internal intention and focus. The author criticizes rituals performed without genuine feeling, likening them to empty gestures that fail to yield true results.

Practical Application and "Don'ts":

The text provides practical advice on how not to perform Samayik to ensure focus and effectiveness:

• Don'ts:

  • Do not perform Samayik where your attention is drawn to household activities or people moving about (e.g., near a doorway, in the kitchen).
  • Do not keep telephones or mobile devices within reach during Samayik.
  • Avoid performing Samayik simultaneously with family members if it leads to distractions. It's better to stagger the practice.
  • Do not sit facing the main entrance or in a gallery where there's external movement.
  • Avoid practices that compromise concentration, like tying a cradle with a toe to keep a child rocking.

• Do's (for Dravya-Samayik):

  • Practice in solitude or a quiet corner, facing a wall to minimize external distractions.
  • Maintain silence and avoid conversations.
  • Engage in mantra recitation, reading religious scriptures, memorizing verses, contemplating their meaning, or practicing focused meditation (on an idol, photo, or breath).

The "Bhav Samayik" Approach:

• Bhav-Samayik involves observing the world's events like a spectator, remaining detached, and cultivating upasham (calmness), samatva (equanimity), and samata (equality). This can be done anytime, anywhere.

A Practical "Deal": The 4% Principle:

Recognizing the busy lives of householders, the author proposes a practical "deal": dedicating 4% of one's time to inner reflection. This can be either:

1. One hour of dedicated Samayik daily.
2. Four minutes every hour for introspection. During these four minutes, one should pause all activities, observe the surroundings without judgment, and focus inward, akin to asking "Who am I?" (as advocated by Ramana Maharshi). This brief moment of mindfulness and self-inquiry is crucial.

The Cycle of Purification and Contamination:

The author uses the analogy of bathing and then rolling in dust to illustrate why many religious practices often yield little fruit. We cleanse ourselves through rituals but then immediately become "dusty" again through negative thoughts and actions in the remaining hours of the day. True progress requires first stopping the inflow of new contaminations (new karma) before focusing on purification (karma nirjara).

Paths to Karma Mukti (Liberation from Karma):

The text outlines three ways to empty the "pot of karma":

1. Akam Nirjara (Unintentional Liberation): Sealing the pot and letting the water (karma) dry out over a very long period.
2. Sakama Nirjara (Intentional Liberation - Kitika Marg): Actively emptying the pot through efforts like penance, chanting, etc., with the goal of reducing karma. This is a gradual process (like a snail's pace).
3. Sakama Nirjara (Intentional Liberation - Vihangam Marg): Tilting the pot to empty it instantly. This is achieved through self-focused meditation and awareness of the soul, leading to rapid liberation.

Benefits of Samayik:

The discourse highlights numerous benefits of practicing Samayik:

• Cultivation of the three jewels: Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct.
• Adherence to the three restraints: control of mind, speech, and body.
• Observance of the five great vows of monks (ahimsa, truth, non-stealing, celibacy, non-possession) for the duration of the Samayik.
• Performance of twelve types of penance (both external and internal).
• Prevention of karma inflow (samvara).
• Shedding of negative karma and binding of auspicious karma leading to celestial lifespans.
• A single pure Samayik yields far greater merit than vast material donations.
• Avoidance of sins, kashayas, vices, and delusions.

Measuring Success:

True Samayik is measured by the sustained feeling of peace, equanimity, and equality throughout the day after the practice. If one feels fresh and energetic, it indicates a well-performed Samayik.

Conclusion:

The book encourages readers to move beyond mere external rituals and embrace the profound internal transformation that Samayik offers. By understanding and practicing the three meanings of "Sam" – calmness, neutrality, and equality – and by integrating the "4% principle" into their daily lives, individuals can achieve true equanimity and spiritual progress, leading to the ultimate goal of liberation.