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Chapter V Code of Conduct for House-holders
According to the Digambara sect, refraining from taking meat, wine, honey and five kinds of figs are the fundamental restraint prescribed for a Jaina-layman. In lieu of these eight mūlagunas, Svetāmbaras prescribe the avoidence of the seven bad deeds, namely gambling, meat-eating, consuming alcohol (wine), adultery, hunting, stealing and debauchery. Hemacandra in his Yoga-śāstra has mentioned 35 qualities of a Jaina householder in ten verses. Here we are giving their English rendering'.
1. He who gains his livelihood by honesty and admires as well as and follows excellence of conduct and marries his sons and daughters to well-born and well-behaved family.
2. He is afraid of committing sins, he follows the customs of his country, never speaks evil of any one and especially not of his ruler.
3. He lives in neither too secluded nor too open a residence. It must be situated in a good locality and have good neighbours. The house must not have too many entrances.
4. He always associates with good men, worships his parents and abandons an unprotected place of evil reputation.
5. He regulates his expenditure according to his income, dresses according to his position and being endowed with eight kinds of intelligence hears religious discourses every day.
6. If he suffers from indigestion, he ought not to eat. * The author is thankful to Mrs. Stevensen for this English rende
ring. It has been taken from her book "The Heart of Jainism'.
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