Jain Meditation and Samayika
In the Jaina scriptures, Mahavira and other figures of the past are portrayed as attaining enlightenment in the midst of meditative practice. In the earliest texts, however, the nature of this meditative practice is unclear. Although the canonical Jaina sutras portray Mahavira (and others) as engaging in tapas/austerities and meditation, actual descriptions of formal practice are brief and include generic descriptions (i.e. “he meditated”) as well as descriptions of both discursive reasoning (i.e. “he meditated on the law,” etc.) and seemingly non-discursive forms of practice (the attainment of samadhi, “sukla-dhyana,” or the meditative attainment of nirvana):
“And Mahavira meditated in some posture, without the smallest motion; he meditated in mental concentration on (the things) above, below, beside, free from desires. He meditated free from sin and desire, not attached to sounds or colors…”
“Thus he thoroughly purified himself by knowledge, right conduct, faith, penance, and pure meditations…”
“His knowledge will be honoured, his doubts will be removed, he will gladden the heart of his teacher by his good acts; kept in safety by the performance of austerities and by meditation, being as it were a great light, he will keep the five vows.”
“A clever monk should divide the day into four parts, and fulfil his duties in all four parts. In the first Paurushi he should study, in the second he should meditate, in the third he should go on his begging-tour, and in the fourth he should study again.”
“Abstaining to meditate on painful and sinful things, one should, with a collected mind, engage in pure meditations on the Law…”“As a tortoise draws its limbs into its own body, so a wise man should cover, as it were, his sins with his own meditation. He should draw in, as it were, his hands and feet, his mind and five organs of sense, the effect of his bad Karman, and every bad use of language. The virtuous exert themselves to the distant end (Liberation).”
“He whose mind is always wavering does not reach abstract contemplation (Samadhi).”
“Others, being incensed by lusts, greedy, sensual, do not care for abstract meditation and religious instruction…”“Mahavira… in a squatting position with joined heels exposing himself to the heat of the sun, with the knees high and the head low, in deep meditation, in the midst of abstract meditation, he reached Nirvana, the complete and full, the unobstructed, unimpeded, infinite and supreme, best knowledge and intuition, called Kevala.”
“Knowing whence we come and wither we go, he leaves the road to birth and death, rejoicing in his glorious liberation. ‘All sounds recoil thence, where speculation has no room,’ nor does the mind penetrate there. The saint knows well that which is without support (of the body). The liberated is not long nor small nor round nor triangular nor quadrangular nor circular; he is not black nor blue nor red nor green nor white; neither of good nor bad smell; not bitter nor pungent nor astringent nor sweet; neither rough nor soft; neither heavy nor light; neither cold nor hot; neither harsh nor smooth; he is without body, without resurrection, without contact (of matter), he is not feminine nor masculine nor neuter; he perceives, he knows, but there is no analogy; its essence is without form; there is no condition of the unconditioned.”
“After having taught the highest Law he practiced the highest contemplation (Sukla Dhyana), which is the purest of pure, pure without a flaw, thoroughly white like mother-of-pearl and the moon.”
“Parsva, under a Dhataki tree, after fasting two and a half days without drinking water, being engaged in deep meditation, reached the infinite highest knowledge and intuition called Kevala.”
The attainment of the highest form of Sukla-Dhyana (“pure” or “white” trance) is also, in some texts, envisioned as occurring immediately before one attains final Nirvana.
Explicit instruction in meditative practice is lacking in the earliest Jaina scriptures, possibly due to the loss of the Purva portion of the canon.
Because of the extreme diversity in post-canonical “Scriptural” texts among both the Svetambara and Digambara sects, various forms of meditative or semi-meditative practice have been developed within the Jain tradition including worship/veneration of the Jinas, fasting, kayotsarga/“abandonment of the body” (sitting or standing motionless for a length of time), the cultivation of Sukla-Dhyanas (“pure/white” trances), Samayika, and forms of meditation which borrow from or overlap with Patanjalian yoga and other schools of Indian thought. Although other forms exist within the tradition, the primary form of meditative practice for laypersons and mendicants developed within the Jain tradition is referred to as Samayika, commonly translated as “Equanimity” or Coming to Oneness.
Samayika
Samayika is one of the six obligatory duties of mendicants and is also included in the 12 Vratas (“restraints”) prescribed for laymen. It is thus the primary form of meditative practice for both classes of Jains. During samayika, one sits in a meditative posture for up to 48 minutes, often beginning with a recitation (referred to as a samayika-path) such as the following:
As long as I am seated in this meditation,
I shall patiently suffer all calamities that may befall me,
be they caused by an animal, a human being, or a god.
I renounce, for the duration of this meditation,
my body, all food, and all passions.
Attachment, aversion, fear, sorrow, joy, anxiety, self-pity…
all these I abandon with body, mind, and speech.
I further renounce all delight, whether gain or loss,
Whether defeat or victory, whether meeting or separation,
Whether friend or enemy, whether pleasure or pain,
I have equanimity towards all.
In the attainment of knowledge, insight, and proper conduct,
the cause is invariably nothing but my own soul;
Similarly, my soul is the primary cause for both the influx
of karmas and the stopping of that influx.
One and eternal is my soul,
Characterized by intuition and knowledge;
All other states that I undergo are external to me,
for they are formed by associations.
Because of these associations, my soul has suffered
the chains of misery;
Therefore I renounce with body, mind, and speech,
all relationships based on such associations.
Thus have I attained to equanimity
and to my own self-nature.
May this state of equanimity be with me
Until I attain to salvation.
The exact mechanics of what an aspirant does with one’s mind during Samyika may vary by mendicant/teacher, but by reciting a samayika-path and sitting, common interpretations of the ultimate goal of Samayika practice include: the attainment of Equanimity, Coming to Oneness, fusion with the true self, pure self-awareness, detachment of one’s consciousness from all external objects, dwelling in one’s self, and attaining to one’s own self-nature.
Samayika is performed (at least) three times per day by mendicants (sunrise, noon, and sunset) and is often performed under the direction of a superior/teacher in the case of lay Jains.
Interpretations
Equanimity
Samayika is most commonly translated as and associated with the concept of Equanimity or inner tranquility. By practicing Samayika, a Jain’s primary goal is to experience equanimity, both during and after formal meditation sessions. Similarly, Samayika is linked with the attainment of vitaraga/passionlessness – the state of being beyond both attachment and aversion – within the tradition.
Purification of the Soul from Negative Karmas
Because the Jain path envisions the soul as progressing through the stages of moral and spiritual purification, all spiritual practice, including Samayika, is seen as an aide toward this end. In its final state – vitaraga/passionlessness – no karmic matter is thought to be able to cling to the soul.
Self-Nature, Pure Jiva, Meditative Experience of Kevala/Nirvana
The attainment of ongoing Equanimity finally leading to the direct experience of one’s own pure self-nature (or the jiva/soul in its ideal state – beyond the effects of karma) is another common interpretation of the true end of Samayika. The pure experience of self-nature could also conceivably be identified with the state achieved in the highest Sukla-Dhyana (pure/white trance) or the meditative attainment of Kevala/Nirvana/Moksha of the Jain scriptures.
The Jain Canon and Developed Texts
The following are quotations from the primary Jain Canon, developed Samayika-patha, and modern Jain texts.
Abstract Meditation, Nirvana, Kevala
“Mahavira… in a squatting position with joined heels exposing himself to the heat of the sun, with the knees high and the head low, in deep meditation, in the midst of abstract meditation, he reached Nirvana, the complete and full, the unobstructed, unimpeded, infinite and supreme, best knowledge and intuition, called Kevala.”
– Akaranga Sutra, 2:15
Parsva, Kevala
“Parsva, under a Dhataki tree, after fasting two and a half days without drinking water, being engaged in deep meditation, reached the infinite highest knowledge and intuition called Kevala.”
– Kalpa Sutra, 159
Essence without Form, Unconditioned
“Knowing whence we come and wither we go, he leaves the road to birth and death, rejoicing in his glorious liberation. ‘All sounds recoil thence, where speculation has no room,’ nor does the mind penetrate there. The saint knows well that which is without support (of the body). The liberated is not long nor small nor round nor triangular nor quadrangular nor circular; he is not black nor blue nor red nor green nor white; neither of good nor bad smell; not bitter nor pungent nor astringent nor sweet; neither rough nor soft; neither heavy nor light; neither cold nor hot; neither harsh nor smooth; he is without body, without resurrection, without contact (of matter), he is not feminine nor masculine nor neuter; he perceives, he knows, but there is no analogy; its essence is without form; there is no condition of the unconditioned.”
– Akaranga Sutra, 1:5:6
Abstract Contemplation | Samadhi
“He whose mind is always wavering does not reach abstract contemplation (Samadhi).”
– Akaranga Sutra, 1:5:5
Highest Contemplation (Sukla Dhyana)
“After having taught the highest Law he practiced the highest contemplation (Sukla Dhyana), which is the purest of pure, pure without a flaw, thoroughly white like mother-of-pearl and the moon.”
– Sutrakritanga, 1:6:16
Equanimity, Self-Nature, All Other States Are External to Me
As long as I am seated in this meditation,
I shall patiently suffer all calamities that may befall me,
be they caused by an animal, a human being, or a god.
I renounce, for the duration of this meditation,
my body, all food, and all passions.
Attachment, aversion, fear, sorrow, joy, anxiety, self-pity…
all these I abandon with body, mind, and speech.
I further renounce all delight, whether gain or loss,
Whether defeat or victory, whether meeting or separation,
Whether friend or enemy, whether pleasure or pain,
I have equanimity towards all.
In the attainment of knowledge, insight, and proper conduct,
the cause is invariably nothing but my own soul;
Similarly, my soul is the primary cause for both the influx
of karmas and the stopping of that influx.
One and eternal is my soul,
Characterized by intuition and knowledge;
All other states that I undergo are external to me,
for they are formed by associations.
Because of these associations, my soul has suffered
the chains of misery;
Therefore I renounce with body, mind, and speech,
all relationships based on such associations.
Thus have I attained to equanimity
and to my own self-nature.
May this state of equanimity be with me
Until I attain to salvation.
– Nityanaimittikia-pathavali (Samayika-Path)
Uplifting the Soul, Purification from Karmas
I … forsake all activities by adopting a motionless posture for repenting and achieving further purification, and for nullifying and destroying my sins and karmas, by remaining at one place for (the) uplifting of my blemished soul…
– Samayika-Path (“Uplifting the Soul”)
Pure Jiva
Ascetics and laypersons both practice samayika. The Jain layperson is said to be the most like an ascetic – to come closest to the ascetic state – while engaging in this practice. Through the practice of samayika, one learns not to give in to the passions which attract karma to the soul… The jiva, in its ideal state, could be compared to a smooth body of water – like a lake on a windless day – clear and untroubled by turbulence or waves.”
– Jeffery D. Long, Jainism
Equanimity, True Self, Jnana-Cetana, Pure Self-Awareness
“… (Samayika) has been understood both as ‘attaining equanimity’ and as ‘fusion with the true self’ (becoming fixed in jnana-cetana, pure self-awareness). Both of these definitions render samayika equivalent to the progressive detachment of one’s consciousness from all external objects.”
– Padmanabh S. Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification
Dwelling in Oneself
“The point of such recitations (samayika-patha) is the ‘dwelling in one’s self’ towards which the overall ritual is aimed.”
– Padmanabh S. Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification
Inner Refuge
“This sublime experience will sustain (the layman) even when he returns to his family and to the bustle of everyday life, drawing him again and again to the inner refuge he has discovered. Thus the very austerity which makes the mendicant path seem so difficult becomes its primary attraction…”
– Padmanabh S. Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification