________________
ENUNCIATED IN JAINISM
55
robs society of its legitimate rights and privileges is doing what amounts to breaking the third vow. The fourth vow is to renounce sexual pleasures. This vow when applied to ascetics implies absolute celibacy in either thought, word or deed. The intention of the fourth vow is a strict monogamic life among householders. He too should observe this vow by thought, word and deed. The house-holder is expected to maintain sexual purity in order to secure domestic happiness for himself and promote the same among others in society.
The fifth vow refers to the personal possession of property and wealth. An ascetic cannot have any property of any type because of his vow of renunciation. A householder is expected to practise the vow of nonpossession in a modified form to suit his condition of life. He has to limit his personal possessions. Whatever accrues to him beyond his self imposed limit must be set apart for the benefit of society as a whole. This self imposed limit to possessions and surplus income is a necessary step in his spiritual development so that he may ultimately secure complete isolation from his possessions.
In Jainism one's possessions and objects of worIdly attachment are classified into the two categories of external and internal. The objects of external attachment are of three kinds-attachment to inanimate objects such as a house, land, jewelry or vehicles, attachment to animate objects such as a wife, husband, children, friends, cattle or domestic animals and attachment to semi-animate objects such as fruits, flowers,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org