Short answer: Jains do meditate, but meditation is not the sole or ultimate path to enlightenment. In Jainism, liberation (moksha) comes from right faith (darshan), right knowledge (jnan), and right conduct (charitra)—and from shedding karmic matter through disciplined austerities (tapas) and ethical vows. Meditation is one important tool used to purify the mind and reduce karmic inflows, but it works within the larger framework of right faith, conduct, and renunciation.

Key points:

• The core path is sábha of three jewels: samyak darshan, samyak jnan, and samyak charitra. Meditation supports these aims but does not replace them.
• Jain practice includes specific meditative/reflective disciplines such as samayik (30 minutes of quiet reflection on the 5 universal substances and one’s vows), pratikraman (confession and repentance), and bhakti or arta (devotional remembrance of Arihants) as part of daily discipline.
• There are differences in emphasis between Digambar and Shwetambar traditions on ascetic practices and certain meditation-like practices, but both traditions stress purifying the soul and removing karmic attachments rather than seeking enlightenment by meditation alone.
• The aim is to stop influx of new karma and burn off old karma through disciplined conduct, austerities, and ethical living; meditation is a supportive practice within that framework.

If you’d like, I can share concise definitions and original terms for samayik, pratikraman, and kevala jnana from Jain sources, and explain how each fits into the path to liberation.