Samayik: A Way To Better Life

Samayik: A Way To Better Life

Man is running in the search of peace and stress relief. Yet the paradox is he begets suffering from misery, disease and violence one after the other. Inner and outer conflicts remain haunting him all the time.

The analysis of this problem reveals a lacunae in modern day life style. Man’s life resolves around materialistic pleasure. This search of happiness in outer world is like a blind rat race. It has neglected the inner self. It has blessed the world nothing more than tension and confusion. The resultant feeling of discomfort and emptiness in one’s life has forced many to think and look something beyond the materialistic world.

The search to find the true peace by philosophers, thinkers, religious, teachers unveils the truth of two possible options - The long term peace and short term peace.

Material world is transitory by nature. It is ever changing. A new car never stays new forever nor a child stays young forever. This world of material construct is neither eternal in form nor in relation to time. It cannot be retained forever. How can such a material world with transitory nature bring everlasting happiness be it music, television, games, objects, ipod, or any other tools. The moment they are disconnected by our physical presence, they are useless. They lack the power to trigger the real source of peace that exists within a human being.

The long lasting peace is possible only if its source flourishes from within. Spiritual practices has the potential to manifest it. This inner source of joy lies deep within every human, but it is clouded by the dust of negative thoughts and actions, and its consequences. The journey within plays a significant role to shatter these clouds.

A answer to multi–colored problems

In Jain ethics the spiritual exploration is well structured in the twelve vows called twelve Anuvratas for a layman. One of the components of the twelve is Samayik.

Thousands of Jains practice Samayik every day. What is this Samayik, why is it significant. How can this be practiced? What makes it non-sectarian? And many more questions can be explored here.

Samayik means to practice equanimity for 48 minutes. While practicing this one resolves to keep away from 18 kinds of sins. The jain term is “Savdya yoga” meaning sinful activities are bid good bye. They are classified into four categories:

Category 1:

• Pranatipata- to kill the living beings
  
• Mrishavad- to tell a lie
  
• Adattadan- to steal
  
• Maithuna- sexual relation
  
• Parigraha- possession.

Category 2:

• Anger, ego, deceit, attachment.

Category 3:

• quarrel, aversion, non-vow, backbiting, deluded attraction towards negative and deluded attachment from positive.

Category 4:

• deceit added with lies, deluded belief.

In the Digambara Literature, the word samaya is used for ‘Soul”. According to it, to be in oneself is Samayik. A person who remains inside the soul never gets affected by the external distractions. He achieves steadiness of body, restraint of speech and concentration of mind. He becomes alert for developing positive thinking. He becomes alert towards the self.

A small story of the king makes this truth explicit. Once a yogi left for a pilgrimage. On the occasion of his departure, the king himself came to wish the yogi a spiritual journey. On this heightened moment, the king requested the yogi to bring him any precious gift on his way back.

The yogi returned back after seven years. As promised by yogi and desired by the king, the yogi got him a precious gift, a mirror.

On seeing the mirror, the unsatisfied king said, I have several mirrors in my palace. I am unable to identify the significance of your mirror.

The yogi reversals, “My lord, this is not a simple mirror. It is a mystic mirror, a mirror in which you can see yourself, your inner self. This knowledge of oneself is the highest form of knowledge. A way to everlasting progress of self.”

In simplistic terms, Jain Samayik is a resolution to:

1. Perceive one self.
   
2. Practices of equanimity of mind i.e. remain unaffected from outer positive or negative.
   
3. Determine not to indulge in any type of sinful activity at mental, vocal, as well as physical level.
   
4. Awakening of one’s consciousness.
   
5. Development of positive thinking.
   
6. Establish harmony in physical, vocal and mental activity.

A question arises here is why to practice Samayik only for 48 minutes?

The answer to this question could vary. Primarily it is believed that human concentration can last undisturbed for 48 minutes. Thus, one is instructed to practice it for this long. The other reason being, the time measurement. The sand clock used in olden days was measured with the unit ‘ghadi’ which lasted for 24 minutes and when sand clock was reserved, it carried on for yet another 24 minutes. Thus, making it 48 minutes.

When logically analyzed, if 2 minutes of every hour of the day and night is extracted, it counts 48 minutes, implying be with your inner self at least for 2 minutes of an hour, totally 48 minutes. Samayik is an exercise to train oneself to perform any activity with 100% of concentration and peacefulness of mind.

This will give oneself, the time to contemplate on the self, lives, problems and above all find solution to important issues. Hence, it can work as a solution rendering time, and opportunity to see light, a time to seek the true of human life.

Innovative Method of practicing Samayik Acharya Tulsi structured and scheduled these 48 minutes to make it most productive. To draw maximum benefit of Samayik he set time as follows:

10 minutes meditation, 10 minutes chanting of mantra, 20 minutes reading spiritual literature, 8 minutes self-introspection and charging oneself positively. Thus, the practice of Samayik trains oneself towards peaceful and trance experience.

Mishrimal Surana (Ranawas) could be a good ideal practioner and realizing its true impact. In 1981, he visited Acharya Tulsi in Delhi. He was practicing two Samayik in standing pose. There came a rat, it bit his toe, but Mishrimal was in trance. He neither opened his eyes nor grieved the pain. Inspite of repeated biting, which followed bleeding, his meditation and peace of mind remained undistributed. This equanimity was the result of his practice of Samayik.

Yet another ideal practitioner worth referring is Mohan Lalji. His conviction for Samayik was so strong, that he would never eat before practicing Samayik. In case he is traveling, he would fast for 2 days with all ease and wait for the opportunity to practice Samayik.

To bring perfection in the practice of Samayik, the resolution mantra which in composed in Prakrit; an ancient language, must be given attention. One should pronounce it with right phonetic, have a deeper understanding of the chant/resolution and stay concentrated towards the goal. Samayik renders an opportunity to live in the present moment, come out of the running cycle of stress and lives in peace. Over all it is a key training capsule to better life.