Jain Philosophy (2) 10 – Jain Concept of Devotion (Bhakti / Prayer)
In all religious traditions, prayer plays an accepted mode of communication between the devotee and the divine.
A prayer is a pure dialogue between the devotee and the divine, and thus does not need nor require any material things. Everyone has equal opportunity to pray. Divine does not make distinction amongst the devotees regarding race, religion, nationality, or any other external criteria. The only thing that is required to approach Divine is unconditional devotion free from selfish motives and falsehoods. During a prayer, a devotee opens up his heart to the God.
Out of all religious tradition, however, Jainism defines a special meaning to prayer. Jainism firmly believes in the doctrine of Karma, and puts sole reliance on the development of one’s spiritual advancement by one’s own personal efforts. Jainism further exhorts its followers to develop Asharan Bhävanä (nobody is your savior). The question that naturally arises now is “What is the place of prayers in Jainism?” Since Jainism does not believe in God as a creator and destroyer of the universe or in the existence of any outside divine entity controlling our fate, it seems that any idea of prayer would be irrelevant to Jainism.
If prayers could please Siddha (a liberated soul) then some prayers could also displease Siddha. The soul, when it has become Siddha, has no attachments. Its character is purely that of a knower and a seer. Thus, if Siddha could bestow favors, then attributing such human frailties to a Siddha (liberated soul) would naturally mean that Siddha is not liberated.
According to the doctrine of Karma, all results must be sought in that doctrine and unless the prayers are adjusted in the Karma doctrine, they are not fruitful.
However, it would be very wrong to say that prayers have no place in Jain philosophy. The real essence of prayers in Jainism is nothing other than appreciation and adoration of the virtues of the five supreme beings (Pancha Paramesthi) and the expression of ardent desire to achieve these virtues in one’s own life. Jain scriptures elaborate these virtues of Pancha Paramesthi, namely Arihanta, Siddha, Ächärya, Upädhyäy and Sädhu.
It is basic to Jain belief that the Tirthankars (prophets) and their teachings are only to point out to us the way to achieve liberation. However, how to acquire liberation and how to put these teachings into the practice, is entirely left to us. Jainism proclaims that every soul has the potential to become God. In Jainism, the definition of God is one who has attained liberation and not the creator of the universe. Tirthankars, upon attaining omniscience, devoted their lives to preaching and showing us the way to attain omniscience. The path shown by those who have achieved liberation must be studied with utmost respect and sincerity, because it is the proven path to liberation. We are very thankful to Tirthankars for preaching and showing us the path to ultimate liberation. In prayer, we express our gratitude, praise, and enumerate their virtues and we wish that such virtues might be imbibed in our lives. Such prayers constantly remind us what made them achieve the ultimate goal, and in turn, help us achieve that goal. This, in Jain philosophy, is the true meaning of prayers, and it is in this manner that one also obtains the fruits of his prayers.
It is a truth that human mind gets oriented to the thoughts which it entertains constantly. An oriented and conditioned mind always impels the physical senses of the body to follow the pursuits of its liking. If we are fully convinced of the teaching of the great Tirthankars, we will totally surrender ourselves to these teachings. A constant reminder that the practice of the path shown by Tirthankars is the true and the only path to liberation will help mold our life to be a true believer in the teachings of Tirthankars. Prayers in Jainism mean exactly this, a constant reminder of the virtues of the Tirthankars. It is the best prayer we can offer and if these prayers help spiritually uplift our soul, we are surely justified in saying that it is due to the ‘favor’ of the great masters who have shown the path to us. For indeed the masters have shown favor to us, as to the whole humanity, in pointing out the right way to attain liberation.
The prayer offered by the great Ächärya Samantabhadra in the following words clearly makes this point:
‘Oh Bhagawän, you are really a Vitaräga (one who has shed all passions) and so you are not pleased by prayers nor are you displeased by adverse criticism, because you have destroyed all types of adversary feelings. All the same, the remembrance of your merits purifies one’s mind from all sins’.
It is interesting to note that the most outstanding Jain prayer, known as Navakär Mantra, does not refer to any individual person and requests nothing in return. It does nothing more than offering sincere veneration to those souls who are already liberated or are on the path of liberation.
Pancha Paramesthi, the five supreme beings (those have been liberated and those who are on the path of liberation). Jains bow down to them all, because they have already attained what was worth attaining, self – realization (Samyag Darshan), or because they are striving to attain what is worth attaining – liberation (Moksha). As Ächärya Hemchandra puts it:
“I bow down to him whose all passions like attachment and malice, which sow the seeds of birth and rebirth, have been destroyed. It doesn’t matter whether he is Brahmä, Vishnu, Shankar or Jina.”
Jain prayer plays a very significant role in the life of a devotee who observes rites, rituals and worship of Divine with passionate devotion. Jain prayer, though it is not to please God, is certainly an important moral act. During passionate devotion, no bad karma can come in and fruition of bad karma is not felt. It expresses inspiration to the soul, peace to the mind and purity to the active life. On one hand the metaphysics, the doctrine and theories, enjoys due importance in Jainism as a system, but then on the other hand Jainism being theistic in more than one aspect, the God of its theism, the Arihanta and Siddha always triumphs completely over all the legalism of its doctrines and theories. It is not fully correct that there is no ‘divine grace’ or ‘God’s grace’ in Jainism. In fact, one may get numerous evidences in support of the grace if we survey the Jain Yoga and Ärädhanä.
Forms of Prayer
The three main ways to pray are physical, verbal, and mental.
Physical Prayers
Adoration, bowing down before the idols, performing the ritual called Pujä with various materials like water, flowers, sandal wood paste, incense, waving of light before the deity, dance, food offering are different forms of physical prayers.
Verbal Prayer
It is the main form of prayer. It may be in the form of prose or poetry, very short mantra, form of a hymn (Stotra) or quite elaborate as in various forms of Pujä. In all these forms, the devotee invokes pure thoughts in his mind through the medium of sound, which have a cause and effect relationship with some of the most sublime emotions produced in the human mind.
Mental Prayer
This is the best form of prayer from the spiritual point of view. It is carried out silently by meditation and contemplation. This kind of prayer can be effectively performed only by an advanced aspirant who is well versed in right spiritual tenets and has good control over his mind and senses. Normally, when the prayer starts, it is vocal in nature and later on when the aspirant is fully and totally engrossed in prayers, the vocal prayer is taken over by the silent prayer.
Devotion
- Unconditional love for God is a universal remedy to live in bliss
- Practice of devotion destroys extrovertedness of mind
- Introvert mind becomes free from limitations and imperfections
- The act of superimposing higher ideals on an ordinary object is called Pujä
- Pujä is the simplest practice for purifying a mind
- We worship the ideal for which the idol stands
- The more one gets tuned to the devotion, the idol becomes the perfect ideal for a devotee
- The duality between the worshiper and the worshiped vanishes
- Individual consciousness becomes one with the universal consciousness
- Devotee experiences unalloyed and unbroken bliss all the time
- After this realization, living in this world becomes a matter of joy and that is the goal of a human life.
Conclusion:
Prayer, which may be physical, verbal or mental, is a mode of communication between the devotees, and the divine. The devotee could be distressed, desirous, inquisitive or an enlightened soul. The only real thing that is required to approach Him is divine love free from selfish motive or falsehood.
Jains believe that Arihanta and Siddha have no attachment or hatred. They cannot give anything to anybody and one is responsible for his own deeds. In prayer, one has the appreciation and adoration of the Bhagawän’s virtues and the desire to achieve the same virtues in one’s own life.
Prayer and Devotion
Prayer is a reflection of Bhagawän’s Qualities upon Oneself
We worship the Ideal for which the Idol stands
The Idol becomes the Perfect Ideal for a Devotee
Prayer is not for any worldly gain
Pujä is the simplest practice for purifying a mind
Prayer helps us to acquire Good Karma and avoid Bad Karma
Prayer reminds us of the Power we possess in our own Soul
Prayer creates Confidence in Moral Decisions
Prayer makes us to realize the Usefulness of Human Birth
Practice of Devotion destroys Extrovertedness of Mind and Introvert mind becomes Free from Limitations and Imperfections
At a higher Spiritual State, living in this world becomes a matter of joy
To have Unconditional Love for God / Self is to Live in Total Bliss
