Meditation is an ancient practice that traces its roots to the Asian religious practices. Those who practice meditation argue that it improves the efficiency and improves the productive levels of the practitioners. Buddhism, a religion that traces its origin from India, has always championed for meditation as a way of having a sharp mind and focusing on things that matter. Jihana is an early form of meditation that has evolved over time. This paper seeks to analyze the similarities and the differences between Jihana meditation and Yoga Sutra.
Jihana Meditation
Jihana meditation is and form of Buddhism practice that traces its roots in the Indian community. Jihana is the state of mind which occurs when hindrances in life have been overcome. The Jihana emphasizes the relationship between body, feelings, and intellect. This is based on the basic tenets of mediation according to the Buddhism tradition.
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The practice of Jihana is broken down into four stages: first, second, third and the fourth Jihana. The first Jihana is considered to be more comprehensive with far-reaching experiences. The first Jihana also has impacts on the perception of body, emotions and the intellect of the practitioners. The state of joy that dominates the first Jihana is born of complete detachment from the rest of the people. In other words, happiness and joy are achieved by isolation. The mind is then filled with initial and sustained thoughts. From a Buddhist point of view, the process of meditation is characterized by cleansing, also known a pleasant purification process.
The next stage of meditation in Buddhist's Jihana is known as the second Jihana. During this phase, the first Jihana factors such as the initial and sustained thoughts are done away with. Instead, other factors which may not necessarily be Jihana factors come into play. This state of mind is what the Buddhists refers to as possession unification. In the second stage of Jihana, the memory is considered to be in the state of optimum tranquillity, and the individual is highly confident. The other feature of the second Jihana stage is what the Buddhist call bodily feel. This feeling has been likened to a deep pool fed by fresh spring flowing through it. Like the standing pool, the mind of meditator in his or her second Jihana stage is described as tranquil and confident.
The third Jihana comes when the meditator abandons the factor of joy. During this period, the mind becomes equable, mindful and precise in its comprehension of things. The Buddhists believe that the state of Jihana is not easily achieved unless the faculties of faith, energy, concentration, mindfulness, and wisdom are working together. The state of mind at this stage is often described regarding the flower imageries. In the traditional Indian community, the images of flowers are used are used as symbols of spiritual awareness as well as sexual beauty.
The last stage in the Jihana meditation stage is known as the fourth Juhana. The stage is considered vital because it is the point at which someone gets to the formless realms. This stage is the ultimate stage in Buddhist meditation because it is the point at which a meditator gains higher knowledge, a process known as enlightenment.
Yoga Sutra
Yoga has always been defined as the journey an individual goes through to master and have full control of the activities of the mind. A yoga practice aims to ensure that material things do not capture an individual's mind. In other words, the practice of Yoga is the journey through which one seeks to discover himself or herself through the process of introspection.
In any yoga practice, there is the ultimate point that is known as the point of perfect equilibrium. Spiritual calm characterizes the state of perfect balance. At this point, individuals are saved from their habitual daily practices that do not add value to their lives. Instead, the mind is filled with other thoughts that can be helpful. Evil practices such as corruption practices are completely purged out at the equilibrium stage.
The practice of Yoga Sutra requires a lot of spiritual discipline that one must be ready to demonstrate to succeed. However, for the people who have the discipline, the result of a yoga practice is what the Buddhists call state of personal freedom. This is the stage at which one has complete control over whatever happens around him or her.
Morality is a big issue within many religious communities. However, morality is not the ultimate goal of a yoga practice. However, practitioners of yoga make vows that go along the lines of moral compass. For instance, yoga practitioners make pledges in support of non-violence, celibacy, honesty, et cetera. The Buddhists consider these practices as universally acceptable practices and hence should not be limited to a particular religious group.
Yoga is not only about an individual's way of thinking or the control that they have over their surroundings. Instead, Yoga is also about how an individual can relate to fellow human beings. Through the practice of yoga, one gets to learn how to appreciate concepts of friendship, compassion, joy and the impartiality towards all people and creatures. In other words, someone who practices Yoga sutra has a better relationship with others compared to those who do not practice yoga.
An essential feature of the yoga sutra practice is the fact that practitioners are supposed to be active, and not passive members of the society. Through the practice of yoga, one gets the freedom to think and express, mainly because of experience and not necessarily through enlightenment.
The practice of Yoga Sutra emphasizes the doctrine of suffering. According to the yoga principles, people are likely to suffer when they are slaves to craving. In other words, lacking the capacity to control one's urges is a big problem that many people often face. Through yoga, one can control their moral behaviour, their sense, breath, and many more.
Comparison of the two
Both Jihana and Yoga Sutra and forms of meditation that have been practised widely among the Buddhists community. The two practices are both aimed at giving an individual peace of mind through the channelling of the right thought. In both Jihana and Yoga, one has to go through stages before getting to the ultimate state of mind. For instance, in Jihana, one has to go through a hierarchical journey that starts from the first stage, all the way to the fourth stage. The experiences differ from one stage to the next. For instance, the first stage of Jihana is characterized by happiness born of seclusion while the second stage is defined happiness and joy born of concentration. Similarly, the third stage of Jihana is defined by a focused mind born of happiness while equanimity and mindfulness define the fourth stage. At the last stage, one's mind is completely freed of desires.
The same concept of staged experience applies in the yoga sutra practice. Even though the skills are not staged in a hierarchical order, yoga sutra starts from the bottom and ends up in the ultimate point of equilibrium. At this point, just like in the case of the forth Jihana, a yoga practitioner has a complete balance between one's mind and the surrounding. During this period, one is completely freed from his or her evil thoughts through a purging process.
The other similarity between Yoga Sutra and Jihana is the fact that they both emphasize on the role played by mind, body, and soul in defining a human being. In other words, one cannot be physically well when the mind and the soul are troubled. The same can be said of the mind, which cannot be stable when the body and soul are affected in one way or another.
Both Yoga and Jihana seek to break people's ways of thinking by changing the what people put in their minds. Through yoga, one learns how to control what gets into the mind and what comes out of them, either through what they say or what they do. The concept of spiritual discipline is emphasized in both practices. In other words, no one can get to the point of absolute control of their minds and enlightenment, unless they go through all the stages of meditation as outlined in both yoga and Jihana practice books.
There are many differences between Jihana and Yoga-sutra. For instance, while yoga sutra emphasizes one's relationship with others, the Jihana practices emphasize on how an individual can get control of himself or herself.
In conclusion, meditation is an ancient practice that is common among the Buddhist communities. Jihana and Yoga sutra are some of the most common forms of meditations practised by Buddhists. The two practices have the common goal of making people have absolute control of their mind, body, and soul. In spite of the similarities, yoga sutra and Jihana have differences. For instance, the latter emphasizes on one's control of his or her mind while the former emphasizes on how one can have control over his or her environment.
