The Aims of Contemplative Practice in Jainism and Advaita Vedānta
Jeffery D. Long
July 19, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9781003365624-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that Jain ritual is a twofold process of simultaneously externalizing spiritual aspirations and internalizing the spiritual ideals embodied in ritual actions and implements, so that in the ritual space the distinction between inner and outer worlds is dissolved and the practitioner experiences communion with the ideal represented by the enlightened Jinas. |
Abstract
Drawing upon both anthropological descriptions and primary Jain textual sources (particularly the Jñānasāra of the seventeenth century Śvetāmbara Jain master, Yaśovijaya), this chapter focuses on the particulars of how Jain worship and ritual are conducted, as well as on how these activities are conceptualized in the Jain tradition. The thesis will be that Jain ritual involves a twofold process of simultaneous enacting, or “externalizing,” of spiritual aspirations, as well as an internalizing of the spiritual ideals embodied in ritual actions and implements (such as the mūrti , or image, that is employed in iconic Jain traditions). In the ritual space, the distinction between “inner” and “outer” worlds is obliterated, and the practitioner experiences a communion with the ideal represented by the enlightened Jinas.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |