Studies in Buddhist and Jaina Monachism

SR No.: 006567
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur
Publication Year: 1972
Total Pages: 306
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

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STUDIES IN BUDDHIST AND JAINA MONACHISM
of the eight types of acute diseases (vāhi), namely, fever (jara), asthma (sāsa), cough (kāsa), burning (dāha), diarrhoea (atisāra), fistula (bhagandara) etc.) was not allowed to join the Jaina Church.
Physical disability either in the form of deformity or loss of limbs was also an obstacle to monkhood, The Buddhist Church deemed a person whose hands or feet were cut off (hatthacinnan vå padachinnaṁ vā) or whose hands were like snake's hood (phanahatthaka), a hump-back (khuija), a dwarf (vā maņa), a one-eyed person (kaņa), a person with crooked limb (kuņi), a lame (khuñja), a person paralysed on one side (pakkhahuta), a cripple (chinnairiyāpatha), a blind (andha), a dumb (müga), a deaf (badhira), a blind and dumb (andhamūgal, a blind and deaf (andhabadhira), a dumb and deaf (mūgabadhira), and a blind, dumb and deaf (andhamīgabadhira), etc. disqualified for monk-life. The Jaina Church was fully in consonance with the Buddhist as it also refused admission to person despised because of physical deformity, as for example, a person whose hands, feet, ears, nose or lips were cut off, a dwarf (vāmanaga), hump-hack (vadabha), hunch-back (khujja), a lame (pangula), a mutilated person (kunta), a one-eyed man and a blind (adamsane).3 Besides, it also denied initiation to a dullard (jadda)', an insane person (ummatta)", a wicked person (duttha) and a stupid (mūdha).
Neither the Buddhists nor the Jainas ever gave a better position to robbers and thieves. The Buddhist sources refer to a renowned robber dhajabaddhacora), a robber escaped from jail (kārakabhedaka), a registered thitf (likhitaka), a whipped thief (kasāhata) and a branded thief (lakkanähata) and the Jaina to a village-thief gamatera), an urban-thief (desatena), a lifter (antaratena), a looter (addhanateņa), a plunderer (takkara) and a burglar (khanatena), who were debarred from entering into the Order.
The Buddhists as well as the Jainas never received a debtor (inä yaka or analta) or a slave (dāsa) as a monk.40 Along with it the
1. NisB, 3647. 2. MV, 1.83, 119, pp. 94-95. 3 NisB, 3709-3711. 4. Ibid, 3625-3636. 5. Ibid, 3610-3671. 6. Ibid, 3681-3693. 7. Ibid, 3694-3702. 8. MV, 1. 33-37. 91-95, pp. 78-79. 9. NisB, 3650-3662. 10. MV, 1.38.96, p. 79,