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80 : Śramaņa, Vol 62, No. 1 January-March 2011
of the mortifier saint. If one does not get the required number of holy death preceptor saints, one can arrange the above activities with the number of saints available at the time. However, it is necessary that at least two saints
be there.29" We know that such death assistants must be monastics, and thus necessarily follows the "twenty eight basic and primary properties (mūla-guna) of a Jaina ascetic which is comprised of the five great vows (mahāvrata), the five 'cares' (samiti) which aim to not harm beings, the six essential duties (āvaśyaka) which consist of inner and outer practices, the five-fold abjuration (of indulgence in the pursuits of the five senses)30" and seven more bodily austerities. The "mahāvratas (five great vows) are - ahimsā (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (taking nothing belonging to others, for own use, without permission of the owner), brahmacarya (chastity), and aparigraha (possessionlessness)'!." This would ensure great discipline. A monastic, also, "must be totally obedient to his upādhyāya (preceptor) and to his Ācārya (the head of his order) 32," and thus has a two-fold accountability. Generally, then, Jaina voluntary death assistants are both highly disciplined and highly accountable. It is significant that those who assist a practitioner who is engaging in Jaina voluntary death practice is expected to be so highly qualified. Not only is this time the most crucial for the practitioner, one they have been preparing for their entire life and which will determine the quality of their rebirth, but there are also very subtle negotiations that need to occur between the practitioner and the community. Jaina voluntary death practice is done by monastics and householders, and in both cases it must be supervised by a qualified teacher. In both cases, also, apologies are made. For the monk, the BỊhat-Kathākośa mentions "kşamāpanā: apology to the congregation"33, and for the householder, many sources suggest that "having called relatives and friends, one should seek their forgiveness for any transgressions in conduct34." This can be seen as the occasion for saying farewell. In both monastic and lay
| SR No. | 525075 |
| Book Title | Sramana 2011 01 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Sundarshanlal Jain, Shreeprakash Pandey |
| Publisher | Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi |
| Publication Year | 2011 |
| Total Pages | 172 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Sramana, & India |
| File Size | 15 MB |