Preksha meditation: History and Methods

by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words

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Summary: This study explores the origins and evolution of Preksha-Dhyana (perception meditation), created by Acharya Shri Mahapragya (Acarya Mahaprajna) (1920–2010) in the late twentieth century, as the tenth Acarya of the Jaina Svetambara Terapanth sect. Preksa-dhyana synthesizes traditional Jain ascetic methods, ritualistic elements, and modern scientific insights, appealing to both Jains and non-Jains globally.

Copyright:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Source 1: exoticindiaart.com
Source 2: eprints.soas.ac.uk

Contents of this online book ( + / - )

The full text of the Preksha meditation: History and Methods in English is available here and publically accesible (free to read online). Of course, I would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. You can see all this book’s content by visiting the pages in the below index:

Acknowledgements

+ Chapter 1 - Introduction

. 1. Scope of the Study

. 2. Aim of Research

. 3. Dating Considerations

. 4. Meditation in Jainism

. 4.1. Meditation: A Means of Liberation

. 4.2. The Relevance of Yoga

. 4.3. Yoga and Prekṣā-dhyāna

. 4.4. Changes in Jaina Meditational Practices

. 5. Sources on Pre-Modern Forms of Jaina Meditation

. 6. Literature Review

. 7. Studies in Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 8. Theory of Jaina Modernism

. 9. Research Methodology

. 10. Outline of the Chapters of the Thesis

+ Chapter 2 - Pre-Modern History of Meditation in Jainism

. 1,2. Sources of Early Jaina Meditation

. 3. Meditation in the Ācārāṅga Sūtra

. 4. The Āvaśyaka-niryukti (by Bhadrabāhu)

. 5. The Ācārāṅga-cūrṇi (by Jinadāsa Mahattara)

. 6. Ritualistic Kāyotsarga

. 7. The Bhāvanā ascetic practices

. 8. The Anuprekṣā meditative practice

. 9. The Four Dhyānas (Classification)

. 10. The Two Meditations: Worldly (saṃsārika) Psychological States

. 11.1. Dharma-Dhyāna

. 11.2. Śukla-Dhyāna

. 11.3. Dhyāna and Guṇasthāna

. 11.4. Haribhadra’s Eight-Fold Yoga

. 11.5. Digambara Meditation: Śubhacandra (11th c. CE)

. 11.6. Hemacandra’s Yogaśāstra

. 12. Interpretation of pre-modern Jaina Meditation

+ Chapter 3 - The History of Meditation in Terāpanth

. 1. Introduction (the Terāpantha sect)

. 2. Meditation in Early Terāpantha Practice (Introduction)

. 2.1. Meditative Practices of Ācārya Bhikṣu and Muni Hemarāja

. 2.2. Bearing heat (Ātāpanā)

. 2.3. Bhikṣu’s Ātāpanā

. 2.4. The Practice of Hemarāja’s Kāyotsarga

. 3. Jayācārya’s Meditation

. 3.1. Baḍā-Dhyāna (Long Meditation)—Introduction

. 3.1.1. The Method of ‘So’ham’ Breathing Meditation

. 3.1.2. Colour-Visualisation of the Tīrthaṅkara

. 3.1.3. The Practice of Meditation on Liberated Souls (Siddhas)

. 3.1.4. Meditation on the Results of Karma (vipāka)

. 3.1.5. The Concept of the Soul

. 3.2. Choṭā-dhyāna (Short Meditation)

. 3.3. Dhyāna-Vidhi (The Procedure of Meditation)

. 4. The Development of Prekṣā-Dhyāna between 1944–1975

. 4.1. Mahāprajña and the Emergence of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 4.2. Brief Biography of Mahāprajña

. 4.3. The Initial Encounter of Esoteric Tantric Texts

. 4.4. Motivation behind Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 4.5. Practices prior to Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 4.6. Kuśala-Sādhanā (The Adept One in the Spiritual Practice)

. 4.7. Composition of Manonuśāsanao

. 4.8. Tulasī’s Instruction to Develop a New Method of Meditation

. 4.9. Praṇidhāna-Kakṣa (The Contemplation / Divotional Cell)

. 4.10. Bhāvitātmā (Self-Cultivated Ascetic)

. 4.11. Other Pre-Prekṣā Camps by Mahāprajña

. 5. Conceptualising a Special Method of Spirituality

. 6. Overall Glimpse of the Chronological Development of Prekṣā

. 7. Prekṣā and Vipassanā: Goenkā’s 1974-75 Vipassanā Camp

. 8. Naming of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 9. Launch of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 10. Conclusion of chapter 3

+ Chapter 4 - Theory and Methods of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 1. Introduction (to Mahāprajña’s system of Prekṣa-Dhyāna)

. 2. Metaphysical Dualism: The Theoretical Background of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 3.1. The Eight Limbs of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 3.2. The Subsidiary Limbs (Upāṅga)

. 3.3. Three Special Limbs

. 4.1. Jaina Textual Sources of Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 4.2. Elements and Sources from Hindu Yoga Systems

. 4.3. Elements and Sources from Buddhist Vipassanā

. 4.4-5. Āyurvedic Elements (the Seven Constituents of the Body)

. 4.6. Astronomical Elements

. 4.7. Modern Scientific Elements

. 4.8. Mahāprajña’s Personal Experiences

. 5. The Role of Time in Prekṣā-Dhyāna

. 6. Conclusion to chapter 4

+ Chapter 5 - Other Modern Forms of Jaina Meditation

. 1. Introduction (meditation in other Jaina traditions)

. 2. Other Contributors to Modern Jaina Meditation

. 3. Absence of Modern Forms of Meditation in the Digambara Tradition

. 4. Jaina Meditation

. 5. Arhum-Yoga

. 6. Samīkṣaṇa-Dhyāna

. 7. Sālambana-Dhyāna

. 8. Ātma-Dhyāna

. 9. Sambodhi-Dhyāna

. 10. Conclusion of chapter 5

Bibliography I: Primary-Literature including Sanskrit-, Other Prakrit-and Pālī-Literature

Bibliography II: Terāpantha-Literature including Mahāprajña’s Literature on Prekṣā-Dhyāna

Bibliography III: Other Literature

Appendix 1 - Mūlapāṭha of Jayācārya’s Texts, etc.

Appendix 2 - Mahāprajña’s composition on Bhāvanā

Appendix 3 - Sālambana Dhyāna Prayoga 5-6-15

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Last Updated: 02 December, 2024

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