Jaina Monastic Jurisprudence

SR No.: 001621
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Shantaram Balchandra Dev
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown
Publication Year: 1960
Total Pages: 108
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Ritual_text, Philosophy, Ritual, & Religion
File Size: 5 MB

Page 28

10
S. B. DEO
rules. These rules are numerous and cover so many details for which the Jainas seem to have a peculiar flair.
The rules, as remarked above, are numerous indeed. They pertain to initiation, confirmation, church units, relations with the laity, nuns, those who belonged to other sects, touring and residence, begging of food, donors, study, clothing and nudity, requisites like pīdha-phalagasejjā-sarthāraga, rules regarding daily routine, study or sajjhāya, penance, fasting and bodily mortification, death and death-rites and moral discipline.
It is not the purpose of these lectures to detail out here all the rules. I would request the persons interested to refer to my book “History of Jaina Monachism” for the details of such rules. Here we are concerned with the basic considerations that were taken into consideration in the framing of these.
A survey of Jaina monachism would reveal that all the rules of monastic conduct seem to originate from the five great vows (pañca mahavvayas) that were expected of every Jaina monk. The five great vows are ahimsā (savvão pāņāivāyāo veramaņam), sacca (savvão musavāyão veramaņań), asteya (savvão adiņņādāņao veramanań), apariggaha (savvão pariggahão veramanan) and bambhacera (savvão mehuņão veramanan). These form the basis of every field of Jaina monastic conduct. Even the sixth vow, as given in the Dasaveyāliya, and consisting of the abstinence from taking food at night (savvão rāibhoyaņão veramanan) is apparently the corollary of the first vow.
These five vows were to be followed in the thrice threefold way, inasmuch as, the monk was not to transgress these himself, or make some other to transgress these or consent to somebody else transgressing these, either mentally (maņeyva), vocally (vāeņa) or bodily (kāena). Thus the following of these basic vows which comprised the whole fabric of Jaina monastic life led to the flowering up of numerous rules and conventions which have survived to this day.