Sukladhyana (pure meditation)

Dharmadhyana practice makes one’s mind steady, calm, composed and gets aborbed into one single object chosen for meditation. Sukladhyana makes such mind more matured, peaceful and brings cittavrttis under full control. This is the highest level of meditation where no desires are left. The aspirant continues his journey with pure mind while washing all karma-mala completely towards Sukladhyana now. It is pure white state.

Acarya Hemchandra has explained in his Yogashastra as under that above referred environment and states are very difficult in current times. The practice of sukladhyana has become almost non-attainable (due to accelerated multiplication the impurities in our life). But this unbroken tradition should continue to benefit even few rare aspirants; the explanation of Yogashastra is given below.

anavacchittyāmnāyaḥ samāgatoṅsyeti kirtyateṅsmābhiḥ |
duṣkaramapyādhunikaiḥ śukladhyānaṃ yathāśāstraṃ || (Yogaśāstra, 11/4)

Sukladhyana is pure form of meditation^[1]. It can be resorted by those who are at least at the 8^th stage of spiritual elevation and well versed in Poorvas. Four catagories of Sukladhyan is described in Sthanamgasutra (4/247), Bhagvatisutra (25/7), Adhyatmasar (5/16/74-80) and Tattvarthasutra (Sutra 9/39 to 9.46) as under indicating their progressive order. The first two types of pure meditation are attained by the saints well-versed in the purvas, the Shrutkevali.^[2] The last two types of pure meditation arise in the omniscients.^[3] The result of this is Moksa. These four types of Sukladhyana are:

a) Prthaktvavitarka savicar:

It is multi-tiered contemplation on different states about different aspects and different types of soul or any other object on the basis of scriptural knowledge. It is oscillation of mental concentration between subtle aspects of the same object or the subject and word e.g. Parsvanath. So, it is not absolute meditation. This dhyana is purely analytical and internally influential. It is also called as Bheda-cintana (Contemplation of difference) -To contemplate that the body and the soul are different. For transcendental aspect, Jains accept only true scriptures (Agamas) which are findings of Tirthankaras.

b) Ekatvavitarka vicar:

Abheda-cinatna (Contemplation of non-difference). To contemplete on the form of the soul -I am the soul -is called Ekatvavitarka vicara. It is unitary contemplation on only one aspect of soul or any other object on the basis of the knowledge acquired. It is a progress towards single pointedness. It can not be influenced by words, body or mind, so it is called “avichar”. This knowledge is Nirvikalpa kevaljnan. Due to non availability of other aspects of other objects, fluctuations of mind do not take place. It is free from shifting.^[4] Ghatikarma easily get destroyed in this state. One can achieve Kevaljnana in this.

The above two categories represented by “sukla-lesya” are stages can be resorted by those, whose delusion is calm down or overcome, who knows poorvas. Vitarka denotes sacred literature. Vicar denotes meaning, connotation and moving from one Yog to another. Nirvicar denotes absence of such varying contemplation and staying steady on one aspect. These first two types are based on one substratum and are associated with scriptural knowledge and shifting.^[5]

Following two categories could arise with discolouration of lesyas to the omniscient Lords.

c) Sooksma-kriya-apratipati:

It is a subtle contemplation of an omniscient Lord, when one forsakes all physical, mental and verbal faculties and resort to the subtle body. Only Ayu antarmuhurta remains with him. “Samudghat Kriya” is recommended in Yogashastra (11/50) to enjoy and finish all Vedaniya karma of an aspirant. This practice is comparable with Patanjali’s Bahukaynirman Kriya to enjoy Sopkarma. This represents “paramsukla lesya”.

d) Vyuparata-Kriya-anivrtti

[Vyuparata-Kriya-anivrtti or Sailesikaran or Utsanna Kriya or Samucchinna Kriya nivrutti:]—Here, above referred Suksma Kriya also is stopped. With this small stage of dhyana, remaining four Aghatikarmas also get destroyed. It is a subtle con-templation of an omniscient Lord at the time of liberation. It leads to the irreversible stillness of the soul. It is “lesyatit” (beyond any lesya) state. Steady condition under suppression of subtle activity like breathing is called samucchinna Kriya anivrtti. Discreption, renunciation, absence of delusion and steadiness in the face of difficult-ties -these are the characteristics of the four types of sukla Dhyana. He who takes to the sukla dhyana attains moksa (liberation) and attains to the class of Siddhas.

Thus, these are stages of almost getting rid of desires followed by freedom from raga, dvesa and moving to stage of liberated soul.

The aspirant with minimum knowledge (alpajnani) can practice first two types of sukladhyana. The result is Devloka^[6]. The remaining two should be practiced by kasay-free kevaljnanis, who are in the state of equilibrium.The result is Moksa. Thus depending upon the stages of spiritual elevation, one can have the Sukladhyana. Thus, four types or stages of pure concentration are that of many substances through the activity of mind, speech and body, that of one substance through the activity of mind, speech and body, that of subtle activity and that of complete destruction of activity.^[7] These four types of pure concentrations are achieved by those having all the three activities i.e. the mind, the speech and the body, one activity, body activity and no activity respectively.^[8]

Meditation has been the central practice of spirituality in Jainism for ages. Jain meditation and spiritual practices system is referred to as salvation-path. Its three important constituents are three jewels as mentioned earlier.

Ten degrees of Nirjara in ascending order are described in Tattvarthasutra depending on various liberation seekers of different levels. The dissociation of karma increases innumerable-fold from stage to stage in the ten stages of the right believer (Samyakdrasti?[)], the householder with partial restraints (Sravaka), the ascetic with full restrains (Virat), the separator of the passion leading to infinite births as at this level, one is capable of destroying infinitely binding defilement (Anantanubandhiviyojak), the destroyer of faith-deluding karma (Darsanamoksapaka), the suppressor of conduct-deluding karma (Upasamak), the saint with quiescent passions (Upasantmoh), the destroyer of delusion (Ksapak), the saint with destroyed delusion and the spiritual victor (Ksinmoh and Jin)^[9]. At this level, where one has already destroyed delusions and achieved level of omniscience. Samvara and Nirjara describe the ways one can use to prevent the karmic bondage and to get rid of karma in order to get liberation. If bondage of karma is considered a disease that afflicts the soul and Asrava the door through which the disease enters, Samvar is the prevention of the disease and Nirjara is the cure. As prevention is better than cure, practice of Samvara is given more importance and next is Nirjara.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Tattvarthadhigamsutra, part-2, Chapter 9, 10, Sri Jain Sreyaskar Mandal, Mehsana,1960

[2]:

śukle cādye pūrvavidaḥ | T.S. 9.37

[3]:

pare kevalinaḥ | T.S. 9.38

[4]:

avīcāra dvitīyam | T.S. 9.42

[5]:

ekāśrayesavitarkavīcāre pūrve |Tattvartha-sutra 9.41

[6]:

Adhyatmasara 5/16/80

[7]:

pṛthaktvaikatvavitarkasūkṣma kriyāpratipā divyuparata kriyānivartīni | T.S. 9.39

[8]:

tryekayoga kāyayogā yogānām | T.S. 9.40

[9]:

samyagdṛṣṭi śrāvakaviratānanta viyojakadarśana mohakṣapa kopaśamakopaśāntamohakṣapakakṣīṇamohajināḥ kramaśo'saṃkhyeya guṇanirjarāḥ | Tattvartha-sutra 9.45