Pravṛtti Vs. Nivṛtti States 

As I have mentioned in a previous blog post (see Meditative Layers of Consciousness in Jain Yoga), broadly speaking, in the Yoga-śāstra of Hemacandra (roughly in the 11^th century CE) the meditative states of yoga involve a dialectic between degrees of states of “active engagement” (pravṛtti) with that which is external to the soul (the cosmos, the body, the mind and subtle body, etc.) and degrees of movement towards “withdrawn disengagement” (nivṛtti) from these. 
 

In terms of “active engagement” (pravṛtti), as a technique to attain a deep state of meditation, one achieves mental stability (susthiratā), initially through a single-pointed focus (ekāgratā). While the mind is focused on a meditation object that is external to the soul, one has a mind that is positively engaged and containing content, we can designate that state as pravṛtti or “active engagement.” 
 

On the other hand, as one progresses, and there is a “cessation” (nirodha) of mental content that is external to the nature of the soul, called vṛttis, the mind attains rather an increasing likeness with the purity of the soul, and with a “withdrawn disengagement,” nivṛtti, from that which is external to the soul. Thus, the process of Jain Yoga involves a teleological movement from preliminary “active engagement” (pravṛtti) to superlative “withdrawn disengagement” (nivṛtti).

Further, samyag-cāritra (“right conduct”) is an example of the pravṛtti path (marga), as karma-yoga (the “yoga of action”), while samyag-jñāna (“right wisdom”) is an example of the nivṛtti marga, as jñāna-yoga (the “yoga of wisdom”) since the former involves a somewhat external engagement of mindfulness, while the latter involves a little more of a withdrawn disengagement from external mindfulness to obtain the “wisdom” (jñāna) which is the inherent essence of the soul. 

Purification of the Mind  
Through meditation, the yogī moves through various layers of contemplative gnosis by progressively disengaging from the external self, such as the mind and the senses. This is done by initially stabilizing one’s attention and eventually directing it to the paramātma, or “transcendental self,” as the “self” that “transcends” material and is untouched by material reality and karma. 
 

One’s attention and consciousness eventually become absorbed in that state of purity and transcendence[1] of the soul, the paramātma, or the “self (ātma)” that is “beyond (para)” the material aspects of the self, such as the mind and body. As the Yoga-śāstra says:

“Having disregarded the external self (bāhyātma), the yogī should constantly direct their attention to the transcendental self (paramātma) with the internal self (antar-ātma) in pursuit of purity to be absorbed in that state” (YŚ 12.6).

The paramātma consists of the form of consciousness and bliss, completely deprived of mistaken appearances, as pure, beyond the purview of sensory perception, and with infinite qualities:

“The paramātma is mentioned as consisting of the form of consciousness and bliss (cid-rūpānanda), completely deprived of mistaken appearances, pure, beyond the purview of sensory perception (atyakṣa), and with infinite qualities (ananta-guṇa)” [2]   (YŚ 8.6-8). 

We can say that meditation is therefore an increasing purification of the mind whereby it becomes a more transparent vessel of the consciousness of the soul to the point where there is an apparent likeness between the soul and the mind. For example, the Jain Yoga Śāstra tells us that as one’s consciousness becomes situated in the paramātma, the external mind and senses are now absorbed and purified by exclusive attention directed towards the soul, the mind becomes purified of material content: 

“It the same way that iron undergoes a transformation to become gold from touching quicksilver, so in the same way the self attains the state of the transcendental self (paramātmatva) from meditation on the self (ātma-dhyānāt)”[3] (YŚ 8.12). 

Withdrawn Unattachment & No-Mind
As one’s consciousness travels deeper into the nivṛtti state of “withdrawn disengagement,” the state of nivṛtti consciousness that one attains is described as both “withdrawn unattachment” (audāsīnya) and “no-mind” (unmanībhāva/amanaska/amanaskatā/vimanaska). 

Audāsīnya is disengaged from externality in the state of “no-mind” (unmanībhāva/amanska/vimanaska), a particularly concentrated form of withdrawal where “one’s mental activities (vṛttiḥ) are withdrawn (audāsīnya)” to the point that one does “not think at all, even one little bit.” audāsīnya, one is beyond being “confounded (ākulitam) by intentionality (saṃkalpa)” in a state of complete “stability” (sthairyam), without “mental conception”:

“The one whose mental activities (vṛtti) are directed towards withdrawn unattachment (audāsīnya) should not think at all, even one little bit. That consciousness (citta) that is confounded by intentionality will not attain stability.” [4] (YŚ 8.19),

 
This non-intentional (e.g. empty/clear) consciousness allows one to “absorb (laya) into the true nature of reality (tattva)” and it must be completely effortless: 

“To whatever extent that there is even a modicum of effort, and to whatever extent that there is even a some sort of mental conception (kalpanā) or intentionality (saṅkalpa), to that extent one will not attain absorption into the true nature of reality by any way or means” [5] (YŚ 8.20)

 “The one whose self (ātmā) is immersed in the state of withdrawn unattachment (audāsīnya) is continuously devoid of any effort. They achieve transcendental ecstasy (paramānanda) even though they do not direct the mind at all (kvacid api)” [6] (YŚ 8.33).

Moreover, this absorption is a means of directly knowing—directly interfacing with—reality. By this, Jain Yoga is both soteriological and epistemological in a dialectical fashion; we are liberated from the suffering of worldly life by gaining spiritual insight, and we gain spiritual insight as we become unattached to the temptation and subsequent suffering of worldly life. This is the ideal progression of the meditative system of Jain Yoga.