Jaina Ethics and Meditation: Self Purification Process through Karmic Cycle

Jaina ethics and meditation are inseparable, with the entire spiritual path described in the scriptures functioning as a form of meditation. Based on the Tattvartha Sutra, Uttaradhyayana, and Acaranga Sutra, the paper argues that while ethics in a narrow sense is one aspect of meditation, in a broader sense the whole path—including the fourteen stages of spiritual development—can be understood as meditation. Preksha dhyana, a modern adaptation, makes these stages accessible to laypeople while preserving the ultimate goal of self-purification through the karmic cycle.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The main concern in this paper is to explore the relationship between Jaina ethics and meditation techniques proposed in the Jaina scriptures and its foundations. Meditative practices have been practiced in Jaina tradition for centuries. We also find a difference between the interpretation of scriptures (especially Digambara and Svetambara) regarding meditation, and it also sometimes gets translated into the practice of meditation. In the case of Jaina tradition, it is challenging to separate ethics from the spiritual path of liberation and meditation as a practice. In this paper, based on Tattvartha Sutra , Uttaradhyayana , and Acaranga Sutra, I have tried to show that ethics in its restricted sense can be seen as only one aspect of meditation, but in its broader sense, the whole spiritual path suggested in the Jaina scriptures can be seen as meditation. The fourteen stages suggested in the Jaina scriptures can be considered the stages of ethical path or meditation. We can see preksha dhyana - a recent form of meditation that translates these stages into more acceptable to the laymen - a popular and simple form of the spiritual path in modern times. Nevertheless, in the end, the ultimate aim remains the same - self-purification through the Karmic cycle.