The Sanskrit term Darśanapratimā can be transliterated into English as Darsanapratima or Darshanapratima, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Jainism

Darśanapratimā (दर्शनप्रतिमा) or simply Darśana represents the first of eleven pratimā (stages) laid down for Jain laymen. Darśanapratimā refers to “possessing the perfect, intelligent and well-reasoned faith in Jainism, that is, having a sound knowledge of its doctrines and their applications in life” according to J. L. Jaini in his “outlines of Jainism” (pp. 67-70).

These pratimās (e.g., darśana-pratimā) form a series of duties and performances, the standard and duration of which rises periodically and which finally culminates in an attitude resembling monkhood. Thus the pratimās rise by degrees and every stage includes all the virtues practised in those preceeding it. The conception of eleven pratimās appears to be the best way of exhibiting the rules of conduct prescribved for the Jaina laymen.

Source: archive.org: Jaina Yoga

Darśanapratimā (दर्शनप्रतिमा) refers to “the stage of right views” and represents the first of eleven pratimās (stages of spiritual progress) according to Śvetāmbara, Digambara and Āvaśyakacūrṇi.—The Pratimā-pañcāśaka begins by explaining the word pratimā as meaning “body” (Prakrit bondi), that body which is the vehicle ofthe human incarnation and which in the darśana-pratimā is purified from misconceptions (ku-graha) through the elimination of mithyātva which is compared to a poison infecting the system. The characteristic of this stage is the avoidance of the aticāras of saṃyaktva.

The Digambaras from Samantabhadra onwards add to this (darśanapratimā) a second requirement: the observance of the mūla-guṇas. (Kārttikeya, of course, as was noted above, makes these into two separate pratimās). Samantabhadra further stipulates for this stage a lack of attachment to creature comforts and worldly life, and devotion to Jina and gurus. Amitagati speaks of fostering the guṇas of samyaktva, Vasunandin stresses particularly the eschewing of the seven vyasanas, and Āśādhara insists in more general terms on purity of moral conduct; whilst the Śravaka-dharma-dohaka characterizes the first pratimā very simply as “refraining from eating the udumbara fruits’.

The word pratimā means a statue and is used in another specifcally Jaina sense to designate the kāyotsara. The medieval ācāryas, however, quite plainly conceive of the pratimās (e.g., darśana-pratimā) as performing a regular progressing series in Amitagati’s words, a sopāna-mārga, a ladder on each rung of which the aspirant layman is to rest for a number of months proportionate to its place on the list before he is fit to supplement and reinforce his acheivement by the practice of the succeeding stage.

context information

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Darshana, Pratima.

Full-text: Darshana, Pratima.

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