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The theory of dhyāna is quite important in the Jain doctrine which sees in it an effective means of spiritual realization. Dhyāna is in fact a concentration of mind, which does not remain motionless, but which is controlled and channelled. Dhyāna, defined by the Tattvārthasūtra (9.27), is "the concentration of thought on a single object" (ekāgra-cintā-nirodho dhyānam). And this object, ultimately, must be the Self. But such a concentration is abstract, so the doctrine elaborated degrees and categories to make its grasping easier for the voluntary beginner. Focusing on the Self should lead to self-realization, the ultimate goal of the doctrine. The transcendental Self is inherently pure and perfect, but it is limited by illusory beliefs and karmic matter which bind him to the body. To dispose of these false beliefs and karmic bondage, meditation helps to distinguish between what is body and what is truly the Self, thus separating the soul and the body. This is a first step, an awakening to the body, says Banārasīdās (verse 5), from a conventional point of view (vyavahāra-naya). When the distinction between self and non-self is made, the practitioner has to raise his meditation to the transcendental self, free from limitations of the empirical self. In order to attain this level, he has to renounce the "other qualities" (paraguna) which are applied yet to the empirical self, as Banārasīdās says (verse 6) in order to show how high and difficult the absolute point of view (niscaya-naya) is.
