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Sādhanā

April 21, 2023

This article is about the spiritual practice. For other uses, see Sādhanā (disambiguation).

Sādhanā (Sanskrit: साधना; Tibetan: སྒྲུབ་ཐབས་, THL: druptap; Chinese: 修行; pinyin: xiūxíng) is an ego-transcending spiritual practice.[1] It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu,[2] Buddhist[3] and Jain[4] traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.

Buddhist sādhanā (Japan)
Shugendō sādhanā (Japan)

Sadhana is done for attaining detachment from worldly things, which can be a goal of a Sadhu. Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga and Gnyan yoga can also be described as Sadhana, in that constant efforts to achieve maximum level of perfection in all streams in day-to-day life can be described as Sadhana.[5]

Sādhanā can also refer to a tantric liturgy or liturgical manual, that is, the instructions to carry out a certain practice.

Definitions

The historian N. Bhattacharyya provides a working definition of the benefits of sādhanā as follows:

[R]eligious sādhanā, which both prevents an excess of worldliness and molds the mind and disposition (bhāva) into a form which develops the knowledge of dispassion and non-attachment. Sādhanā is a means whereby bondage becomes liberation.[6]

B. K. S. Iyengar (1993: p. 22), in his English translation of and commentary to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, defines sādhanā in relation to abhyāsa and kriyā:

Sādhanā is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal. Abhyāsa is repeated practice performed with observation and reflection. Kriyā, or action, also implies perfect execution with study and investigation. Therefore, sādhanā, abhyāsa, and kriyā all mean one and the same thing. A sādhaka, or practitioner, is one who skillfully applies...mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal.[7]

Paths

The term sādhanā means "methodical discipline to attain desired knowledge or goal". Sadhana is also done for attaining detachment from worldly things, which can be a goal in itself. A person undertaking such a practice is known in Sanskrit as a sādhu (female sādhvi), sādhaka (female sādhakā) or yogi (Tibetan pawo; feminine yogini or dakini, Tibetan khandroma). The goal of sādhanā is to attain some level of spiritual realization,[8] which can be either enlightenment, pure love of God (prema), liberation (moksha) from the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra), or a particular goal such as the blessings of a deity as in the Bhakti traditions.

Sādhanā can involve meditation, chanting of mantra sometimes with the help of prayer beads, puja to a deity, yajña, and in very rare cases mortification of the flesh or tantric practices such as performing one's particular sādhanā within a cremation ground.

Traditionally in some Hindu and Buddhist traditions in order to embark on a specific path of sādhanā, a guru may be required to give the necessary instructions. This approach is typified by some Tantric traditions, in which initiation by a guru is sometimes identified as a specific stage of sādhanā.[9] On the other hand, individual renunciates may develop their own spiritual practice without participating in organized groups.[10]

Sādhanā in Yoga

The Yoga Sutras has 196 sūtras with ideas and wisdom that a sādhaka can take for a path towards self-realization. B. K. S. Iyengar (1993: p. 3) notes that:

Kriyāyoga gives us the practical disciplines needed to scale the spiritual heights.....the four padas of the Yoga Sūtras describe different disciplines of practice, the qualities or aspects of which vary according to the development of intelligence and refinement of consciousness of each sādhaka.

In the Yoga Sutras II.1, Patañjali and his commentators write that the Kriyāyoga (action-oriented type of yoga) is to be undertaken by those whose mind is not already fixed. The fixing or "stilling of the changing states of mind" (Yoga Sutras I.2) is the goal of yoga, for which Kriyāyoga is necessary as a first step for a sādhaka.[11] There are three aspects of Kriyāyoga:[11]

  1. Discipline - tapas, comprises the "sāttvicizing" of one's sensual engagements or controlling one's senses and making sure that what they consume is amenable to a sattvic mind.
  2. Study - svādhyāya, is taken by Vyāsa, the main commentator on the Yoga Sutras, to refer to the chanting of mantras (an act which is usually termed japa) and the study of scriptures (jñāna).
  3. Dedication to God - Īśvara-praṇidhāna, meaning dedicating all of ones actions to God (Īśvara), which the commentators implicitly refer to the bhakti-centered karma-yoga that is described in the second chapter of the Gita.

Vachaspati Mishra, an influential commentator on the Yoga Sutras, notes that these three aspects of Kriyāyoga are necessary in order to purify the mind, making it more sāttvic than rājasic or tāmasic. Such purity of the mind allows one to then cultivate practice (abhyāsa) and dispassion (vairāgya), which are prerequisites for achieving the stilling of the mind.[11]

Tantric sādhanā

The tantric rituals are called "sādhanā". Some of the well known sādhanās are:

  1. śāva sādhanā (sādhanā done while visualizing sitting on a corpse).
  2. śmaśāna sādhanā (sādhanā done while visualizing being in a crematorium or cremation ground).
  3. pañca-muṇḍa sādhanā (sādhanā done while visualizing sitting on a seat of five skulls).

Buddhism

In Vajrayāna Buddhism and the Nalanda tradition, there are fifteen major tantric sādhanās:

  1. Śūraṅgama/Sitātapatrā
  2. Nīlakaṇṭha
  3. Tārā
  4. Mahākāla
  5. Hayagrīva
  6. Amitābha
  7. Bhaiṣajyaguru/Akṣobhya
  8. Guhyasamāja
  9. Vajrayoginī/Vajravārāhī
  10. Heruka/Cakrasaṃvara
  11. Yamāntaka
  12. Kālacakra
  13. Hevajra
  14. Chöd
  15. Vajrapāṇi
  16. Avalokiteśvara

Not within this list but a central sādhanā in Vajrayana is that of Vajrasattva.

All of these are available in Tibetan form, many are available in Chinese and some are still extant in ancient Sanskrit manuscripts.[12]

Kværne (1975: p. 164) in his extended discussion of sahajā, treats the relationship of sādhanā to mandala thus:

[E]xternal ritual and internal sādhanā form an indistinguishable whole, and this unity finds its most pregnant expression in the form of the mandala, the sacred enclosure consisting of concentric squares and circles drawn on the ground and representing that adamantine plane of being on which the aspirant to Buddhahood wishes to establish himself. The unfolding of the tantric ritual depends on the mandala; and where a material mandala is not employed, the adept proceeds to construct one mentally in the course of his meditation.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996. pp. 92, 156, 160, 167. ISBN 0-521-43878-0.
  2. ^ NK Brahma, Philosophy of Hindu Sādhanā, ISBN 978-8120333062, pages ix-x
  3. ^ http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Sādhanā[dead link]
  4. ^ C.C. Shah, Cultural and Religious Heritage of India: Jainism, Mittal, ISBN 81-7099-9553, page 301
  5. ^ V. S. Apte. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 979.
  6. ^ Bhattacharyya, N. N. History of the Tantric Religion. Second Revised Edition. (Manohar: New Delhi, 1999) p. 174. ISBN 81-7304-025-7
  7. ^ Iyengar, B.K.S. (1993, 2002). Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Hammersmith, London, UK: Thorsons. ISBN 978-0-00-714516-4 p.22
  8. ^ "What is spiritual level?". Spiritual Science Research Foundation. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. ^ Bhattacharyya, op. cit., p. 317.
  10. ^ Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996. p. 92. ISBN 0-521-43878-0.
  11. ^ a b c Patañjali (2009). The Yoga sūtras of Patañjali : a new edition, translation, and commentary with insights from the traditional commentators. Edwin F. Bryant (1st ed.). New York. pp. 169–172. ISBN 978-0-86547-736-0. OCLC 243544645.
  12. ^ Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon – University of the West Archives of Ancient Sanskrit Manuscripts 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Kvaerne, Per (1975). "On the Concept of Sahaja in Indian Buddhist Tantric Literature". (NB: article first published in Temenos XI (1975): pp.88-135). Cited in: Williams, Jane (2005). Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Volume 6. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-33226-5, ISBN 978-0-415-33226-2. Source: [1] (accessed; Friday April 16, 2010)

April 21, 2023
sādhanā, this, article, about, spiritual, practice, other, uses, disambiguation, sanskrit, धन, tibetan, ཐབས, druptap, chinese, 修行, pinyin, xiūxíng, transcending, spiritual, practice, includes, variety, disciplines, hindu, buddhist, jain, traditions, that, foll. This article is about the spiritual practice For other uses see Sadhana disambiguation Sadhana Sanskrit स धन Tibetan ས བ ཐབས THL druptap Chinese 修行 pinyin xiuxing is an ego transcending spiritual practice 1 It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu 2 Buddhist 3 and Jain 4 traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives Buddhist sadhana Japan Shugendō sadhana Japan Sadhana is done for attaining detachment from worldly things which can be a goal of a Sadhu Karma yoga Bhakti yoga and Gnyan yoga can also be described as Sadhana in that constant efforts to achieve maximum level of perfection in all streams in day to day life can be described as Sadhana 5 Sadhana can also refer to a tantric liturgy or liturgical manual that is the instructions to carry out a certain practice Contents 1 Definitions 2 Paths 3 Sadhana in Yoga 4 Tantric sadhana 5 Buddhism 6 See also 7 NotesDefinitions EditThe historian N Bhattacharyya provides a working definition of the benefits of sadhana as follows R eligious sadhana which both prevents an excess of worldliness and molds the mind and disposition bhava into a form which develops the knowledge of dispassion and non attachment Sadhana is a means whereby bondage becomes liberation 6 B K S Iyengar 1993 p 22 in his English translation of and commentary to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali defines sadhana in relation to abhyasa and kriya Sadhana is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal Abhyasa is repeated practice performed with observation and reflection Kriya or action also implies perfect execution with study and investigation Therefore sadhana abhyasa and kriya all mean one and the same thing A sadhaka or practitioner is one who skillfully applies mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal 7 Paths EditThe term sadhana means methodical discipline to attain desired knowledge or goal Sadhana is also done for attaining detachment from worldly things which can be a goal in itself A person undertaking such a practice is known in Sanskrit as a sadhu female sadhvi sadhaka female sadhaka or yogi Tibetan pawo feminine yogini or dakini Tibetan khandroma The goal of sadhana is to attain some level of spiritual realization 8 which can be either enlightenment pure love of God prema liberation moksha from the cycle of birth and death saṃsara or a particular goal such as the blessings of a deity as in the Bhakti traditions Sadhana can involve meditation chanting of mantra sometimes with the help of prayer beads puja to a deity yajna and in very rare cases mortification of the flesh or tantric practices such as performing one s particular sadhana within a cremation ground Traditionally in some Hindu and Buddhist traditions in order to embark on a specific path of sadhana a guru may be required to give the necessary instructions This approach is typified by some Tantric traditions in which initiation by a guru is sometimes identified as a specific stage of sadhana 9 On the other hand individual renunciates may develop their own spiritual practice without participating in organized groups 10 Sadhana in Yoga EditThe Yoga Sutras has 196 sutras with ideas and wisdom that a sadhaka can take for a path towards self realization B K S Iyengar 1993 p 3 notes that Kriyayoga gives us the practical disciplines needed to scale the spiritual heights the four padas of the Yoga Sutras describe different disciplines of practice the qualities or aspects of which vary according to the development of intelligence and refinement of consciousness of each sadhaka In the Yoga Sutras II 1 Patanjali and his commentators write that the Kriyayoga action oriented type of yoga is to be undertaken by those whose mind is not already fixed The fixing or stilling of the changing states of mind Yoga Sutras I 2 is the goal of yoga for which Kriyayoga is necessary as a first step for a sadhaka 11 There are three aspects of Kriyayoga 11 Discipline tapas comprises the sattvicizing of one s sensual engagements or controlling one s senses and making sure that what they consume is amenable to a sattvic mind Study svadhyaya is taken by Vyasa the main commentator on the Yoga Sutras to refer to the chanting of mantras an act which is usually termed japa and the study of scriptures jnana Dedication to God isvara praṇidhana meaning dedicating all of ones actions to God isvara which the commentators implicitly refer to the bhakti centered karma yoga that is described in the second chapter of the Gita Vachaspati Mishra an influential commentator on the Yoga Sutras notes that these three aspects of Kriyayoga are necessary in order to purify the mind making it more sattvic than rajasic or tamasic Such purity of the mind allows one to then cultivate practice abhyasa and dispassion vairagya which are prerequisites for achieving the stilling of the mind 11 Tantric sadhana EditThe tantric rituals are called sadhana Some of the well known sadhanas are sava sadhana sadhana done while visualizing sitting on a corpse smasana sadhana sadhana done while visualizing being in a crematorium or cremation ground panca muṇḍa sadhana sadhana done while visualizing sitting on a seat of five skulls Buddhism EditIn Vajrayana Buddhism and the Nalanda tradition there are fifteen major tantric sadhanas Suraṅgama Sitatapatra Nilakaṇṭha Tara Mahakala Hayagriva Amitabha Bhaiṣajyaguru Akṣobhya Guhyasamaja Vajrayogini Vajravarahi Heruka Cakrasaṃvara Yamantaka Kalacakra Hevajra Chod Vajrapaṇi AvalokitesvaraNot within this list but a central sadhana in Vajrayana is that of Vajrasattva All of these are available in Tibetan form many are available in Chinese and some are still extant in ancient Sanskrit manuscripts 12 Kvaerne 1975 p 164 in his extended discussion of sahaja treats the relationship of sadhana to mandala thus E xternal ritual and internal sadhana form an indistinguishable whole and this unity finds its most pregnant expression in the form of the mandala the sacred enclosure consisting of concentric squares and circles drawn on the ground and representing that adamantine plane of being on which the aspirant to Buddhahood wishes to establish himself The unfolding of the tantric ritual depends on the mandala and where a material mandala is not employed the adept proceeds to construct one mentally in the course of his meditation 13 See also EditChilla retreat Guru shishya tradition Lojong Mahayana Transfer of merit Vedic chant Monasticism Samyama Holding Together Notes Edit Flood Gavin An Introduction to Hinduism Cambridge University Press Cambridge 1996 pp 92 156 160 167 ISBN 0 521 43878 0 NK Brahma Philosophy of Hindu Sadhana ISBN 978 8120333062 pages ix x http www rigpawiki org index php title Sadhana dead link C C Shah Cultural and Religious Heritage of India Jainism Mittal ISBN 81 7099 9553 page 301 V S Apte A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary p 979 Bhattacharyya N N History of the Tantric Religion Second Revised Edition Manohar New Delhi 1999 p 174 ISBN 81 7304 025 7 Iyengar B K S 1993 2002 Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Hammersmith London UK Thorsons ISBN 978 0 00 714516 4 p 22 What is spiritual level Spiritual Science Research Foundation Retrieved 20 September 2020 Bhattacharyya op cit p 317 Flood Gavin An Introduction to Hinduism Cambridge University Press Cambridge 1996 p 92 ISBN 0 521 43878 0 a b c Patanjali 2009 The Yoga sutras of Patanjali a new edition translation and commentary with insights from the traditional commentators Edwin F Bryant 1st ed New York pp 169 172 ISBN 978 0 86547 736 0 OCLC 243544645 Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon University of the West Archives of Ancient Sanskrit Manuscripts Archived 2010 06 12 at the Wayback Machine Kvaerne Per 1975 On the Concept of Sahaja in Indian Buddhist Tantric Literature NB article first published in Temenos XI 1975 pp 88 135 Cited in Williams Jane 2005 Buddhism Critical Concepts in Religious Studies Volume 6 Routledge ISBN 0 415 33226 5 ISBN 978 0 415 33226 2 Source 1 accessed Friday April 16 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sadhana amp oldid 1144920457, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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