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[Essential Sutra]
For a Jain monk, the provision of consuming food with nine types of purity (Navakoti) is made. The nine types are as follows:
* Not cooking food oneself.
* Not asking others to cook for oneself.
* Not approving of the cooking process.
* Not buying ready-made food.
* Not asking others to buy food for oneself.
* Not approving of the purchase of food.
* Not causing harm oneself.
* Not causing harm through others.
* Not approving of the act of causing harm.
In this way, Jainism emphasizes the observance of very subtle non-violence.
**Meaning of Specific Terms:**
* **Gocharacharya:** Just as a cow in the forest does not uproot grass from the ground but eats it from above while moving forward and satisfies its hunger, similarly, a monk also satisfies his hunger by consuming a little food without causing any harm to a householder. The Dasha Vaikalik Sutra uses the analogy of a bee (Madhukar) for this. A bee also satisfies its own needs by consuming a little nectar from flowers without causing any harm to them.
* **Kapatodghatan:** Opening the closed doors of a householder's house to take food and water is considered faulty, because there is a possibility of harming living beings due to the opening of the doors without cleaning them. Entering the house and taking food also indicates the rudeness of the seeker, because the householder may be engaged in some special work inside his house and if the seeker suddenly opens the door and enters, it is not appropriate. This is the path of discharge. If it is necessary to take something for a specific reason and the doors have to be opened carefully, then they can be opened by oneself or by someone else. This is the path of exception.
* **Mandipraabhratika:** This means taking the first portion (Agripinda). The first portion of the prepared food that is kept aside for the sake of merit is called Agripinda.
* **Bali praabhratika:** Food prepared for the worship of deities, etc., is called Bali. It is not appropriate for a monk to consume such food.
* **Sankie:** While taking food, one should never consume food that is suspected of having any kind of fault related to food, such as half-cooked food, etc.
* **Sahsaakar:** Acting hastily, whether in worldly or spiritual matters, is harmful in both respects.
* **Adrishtahat:** When a monk arrives at a householder's house, he should take whatever he needs by seeing it with his own eyes. Taking something without seeing it leads to the fault of Adrishtahat. The meaning is that the object to be given may be placed on some sentient being, and therefore, taking it may lead to the fault of harming living beings. Therefore, taking anything without seeing it is not acceptable.