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Restraint Towards Six Kinds of
Living Beings
Chajjivaniya, Dasaveyaliya Suya
[The Dasaveyaliya Suya (Daśavaikālika Sutra) is one of the Mula Sūtras. Sejjambhava (Sayyambhava) is said to have been the author of this book which contains in a nutshell the tenets of Jainism. It was originally compiled in order to give his son Manaka the chance of grasping the essence of Jainism within a short period of six months at the end of which he was to die. Sayyambhava was the pupil of Prabhava who was the pupil of Jambu. Jambu was the pupil of Sudharma who was Mahavira's immediate disciple. The year 75 after the death of Mahavira may be counted as the date when Sayyambhava became the Thera. The gist of the Agama teaching which it gives was throughly mastered by Sayyambhava together with the traditional expositions and interpretations. In the fourth chapter quoted below is discussed the question of nonviolence which requires a through examination of the presence of life in the various things of the world. Life exists whereever there is growth and movement, and one ought to see that no violence of any kind is being done to any living thing, however, small or great. ]
O Long-lived One, have I heard the Lord having had said thus: in the Nirgrantha discourses the lesson entitled Chjjivaniya is wellacquired with the knowledge of the liberated, well said and observed well by Lord Mahavira, of Kasyapa gotra, Foremost among the Samanas. So it behoves me for highest weal to understand the study of this dis
course.
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