12 Types of Tap/Penance in Jainism

Austerity (Tap) means restraint, which is done willingly by giving away some of the bodily comforts to discipline our minds from patience and pleasures

Austerity (Tap/Penance) means restraint, which is done willingly by giving away some of the bodily comforts to discipline our minds from patience and pleasures. Tap helps us in destroying(Nirjara) Karma . There are two major types of austerities (Tap/Penance). They are:

1. External Austerity (Bahyantar Tap)
2. Internal Austerity (Abhyantar Tap)

1] External Austerity (Bahyantar Tap)

There are six types of bahyantar tap. The bahyantar taps are mainly related to controlling usage of food. The taps are not limited to usage of food and can be extended to controlling passions like krodh(anger), maan(ego), maya(deceive), lobh(greed). Bahya tap helps in abhyantar tap. This tap can be extended to controlling possession of materialistic things like money, mobile phone. The six types are:

1. Anshan: To not have food for certain amount of time, a day, or through out one’s life
2. Unodri: To use food little less than what is required.
3. Ras Tyaag: To not have food/material item which is one’s favourite
4. Vriti Sankshep: To limit one’s desire like using 2 food items out of 5 food items on the dinner table.
5. Kaya-Kalesh: This tap is to develop physical endurance of the body by different methods like doing Kausagg in standing position for a certain amount of time, standing in front of sun, or in using less clothes in winter to bear cold.
6. Sanlinta/Pratisanlinta: This tap is to restrain/compress actions that bring pleasant and unpleasant temptations, restrain/compress actions from doing Paap Karya, and restrain/compress actions from doing Asubh Karya.

To know more detail on each of the above mentioned External Austerity (Bahyantar Tap), read this article: https://medium.com/p/ce09e053d023/

2] Internal Austerity (Abhyantar tap)

In abhyantar tap a person controls his or her inner desires along with performing physical acts. Internal (Abhyantar) tap brings most fruit to one’s soul then external (bahyantar) tap. This is more beneficial than bahyantar tap. There are six types of abhyantar tap. They are:

1. Prayaschita: Confession of mistakes done.
2. Vinay: Vinay means to be polite, humble and grounded. Vinay is the quality which is the root of religion.
3. Vaiyavrutya: To serve panch parmeshthi. For example, to serve food to Sadhu/Sadhvi so that they can continue following Panch-Mahavrat which helps get Lokottar Punya. Lokottar Punya in future helps us practise religion, get guidance of guru, get guidance of Tirthankar.
4. Swadhyay: Continuously Practising studying religious scriptures. Continuously revise studied religious scriptures. Continuously spread the studied knowledge to others.
5. Dhyaan Tap: To concentrate on one’s thoughts for a certain amount of time. There are four types of Dhyaans: 1] Arta Dhyaan 2] Raudra Dhyaan 3] Dharma Dhyaan 4] Shukla Dhyaan.
6. Kausagg Tap: Kausagg means the abandonment of the body. This is a meditation process where one steadies the body in a comfortable position and concentrates on one’s breathing for a certain amount of time maintaining the position. This is done in efforts to realise/experience the knowledge that the soul is different from the body. This process can be said to remove the soul from one’s body, to get closer to the soul. Kausagg can be considered as a special type of Dhyaan Tap.

To know more Abhyantar tap read this article: https://medium.com/@jayshah_84248/6-internal-auterties-abhyantar-tap-in-jainism-5afe102b0ed5

References:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHIgKXUBXkc
2. https://www.jaina.org/page/JainaTap/All-Types-of-Tap.htm