Dhyana in Hinduism
Dhyāna (Sanskrit: ध्यान) in Hinduism means contemplation and meditation.[1] Dhyana is taken up in Yoga practices, and is a means to samadhi and self-knowledge.[2]
For Meditation concept in Pali called Jhana, see Dhyana in Buddhism.
The various concepts of dhyana and its practice originated in the Sramanic movement of ancient India,[3][4] which started before the 6th century BCE (pre-Buddha, pre-Mahavira),[5][6] and the practice has been influential within the diverse traditions of Hinduism.[7][8] It is, in Hinduism, a part of a self-directed awareness and unifying Yoga process by which the yogi realizes Self (Atman, soul), one's relationship with other living beings, and Ultimate Reality.[7][9][10] Dhyana is also found in other Indian religions such as Buddhism and Jainism,[1] and all traditions introduced unique aspects and context to Dhyana, and mutually influenced each other.[8]
All the while similar traditions developed within Zoroastrianism in Persia under the label daena.
The term Dhyana appears in Aranyaka and Brahmana layers of the Vedas but with unclear meaning, while in the early Upanishads it appears in the sense of "contemplation, meditation" and an important part of self-knowledge process.[7][11] It is described in numerous Upanishads of Hinduism,[12] and in Patanjali's Yogasutras - a key text of the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy.[13][14]
Etymology and meaning[edit]
Dhyāna (Sanskrit: ध्यान, Pali: झान) means "contemplation, reflection" and "profound, abstract meditation".[15]
The root of the word is dhi, which, in the earliest layer of Vedic texts, refers to "imaginative vision" and is associated with goddess Saraswati, who possesses powers of knowledge, wisdom, and poetic eloquence.[7][16] This term developed into the variant dhya- and dhyana, or "meditation".[7]
Thomas Berry states that dhyana is "sustained attention" and the "application of mind to the chosen point of concentration".[17] Dhyana is contemplating, reflecting on whatever dharana has focused on.[18] If in the sixth limb of yoga one is concentrating on a personal deity, dhyana is its contemplation. If the concentration was on one object, Dhyana is nonjudgmental, non-presumptuous observation of that object.[19] If the focus is on a concept or idea, dhyana is contemplating it in all its aspects, forms and consequences. Dhyana is uninterrupted train of thought, current of cognition, flow of awareness.[20][21][22]
A related term is nididhyāsana, the pondering over Upanishadic statements. It is a composite of three terms, namely dhyai, upasana ("dwelling upon"), and bhavana ("cultivating").[web 1]
Discussion in Hindu texts[edit]
Vedas and Upanishads[edit]
The term dhyanam appears in Vedic literature, such as hymn 4.36.2 of the Rigveda and verse 10.11.1 of the Taittiriya Aranyaka.[36][37] The term, in the sense of meditation, appears in the Upanishads.[1][37][38] The Kaushitaki Upanishad uses it in the context of mind and meditation in verses 3.2 to 3.6, for example as follows:[39]
Related concept: Upasana[edit]
Two concepts associated with Dhyana found in ancient and medieval Hindu texts are Upasana and Vidya.[38] Upasana means "come near to something, some idea" and denotes the act and state of meditation, while Vidya means knowledge and is the consequence of Dhyana.[110] The term Upasana typically appears in the context of ritual meditative practices, such as before a devotional symbol such as deity or during a yajna type practice or community oriented bhakti worship singing, and is a subtype of Dhyana.[110][111]
The 11th-century Vishishtadvaita Vedanta scholar Ramanuja noted that upasana and dhyana are equated in the Upanishads with other terms such as vedana (knowing) and smrti (remembrance). Ramanuja holds that all these are phases of meditation, adding that they must be done with love or bhakti. In Bhagvad Gita verse 13.24, Ramanuja interprets dhyana as bhakti-yoga, since it is used alongside samkhya yoga and karma-yoga, thus preferring the term bhakti-yoga over bhakti.[112]
Shankara's Brahma Sutra Bhashya (4.1.7) defines upasana as a "lengthened carrying on of an identical train of thought". This practice involves contemplating sections of holy texts, usually the Upanisads but also the Brahmanas and Aranyakas. According to Shankara, these texts discuss a personal deity and relate to ritual and upasana means devout contemplation on the conditioned Brahman.[113]