Heart of Jainism

SR No.: 011099
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publisher: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publication Year: 1915
Total Pages: 365
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 29 MB

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RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS
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moon, in a house where meat is eaten, near a funeral pyre, on a battle-field, or in the twilight of the early morning or late evening. In fact on any day that a Sthānakavāsi Jaina feels too lazy to read the scriptures, he can find some ceremonial reason to prevent his doing so, and hence the scriptures are not in actual fact much studied by them.
Faina Holy Days.1 The ordinary routine of daily worship of course alters Pajjuon the great days of Fasts or Festivals; for instance, at saņa. Pajjusaņa, the solemn season which closes the Jaina year, many devout laymen fast for eight days or even longer and attend special services at the Apāsarā. They also take this opportunity of doing poşadha, i.e. temporarily becoming a monk. We have seen how the whole teaching of Jainism tries to lead the laity along the path of asceticism towards deliverance, and during the fast of Pajjusaņa householders are urged to live a monk's life for at least twenty-four hours. During the twenty-four hours that he is performing poşadha a layman never leaves the monastery, but spends his time in meditation and fasting. As a matter of fact every householder is supposed to perform poşadha twice a month, but the generality of Jaina content themselves with doing it at the end of the year. If poşadha be too exacting, a layman may observe the partial fast of dayā or sainvara, when, though he sit in the monastery for some fixed period, he may take food and boiled water at will.
The closing day of the Jaina year and of Pajjusaņa, SamvatSamvatsarī, is the most solemn fast of all. Every Jaina sarī. fasts throughout the day from food and water, and the Apăsarā are crowded with men and women making their confessions. No outsider can visit these gatherings without being deeply impressed with the determination of all present
1 For a full account of these see article 'Festivals and Fasts (Jain) by the present writer in E.R.E., vol. v, pp. 875 ff. 3 Or poşaha.
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