Agam 30 Prakirnak 07 Gacchachar Sutra

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Agam Ahimsa Samta Evam Prakrit Samsthan

Page 44

PREFACE : XLIII
monks from enjoying the mundane pleasures of wealth and material objects such as gold and silver, grains and money, bronze and copper and coloured clothes as unrestrained. In the 91" verse it has been even said that the monastic groups in which the monks make use of the monastic equipage brought by the nuns is an unrestrained monastic group. Likewise, in the verses 93 and 94 it has been said that any contact between a lone monk and a lone nun is contrary to established and correct monastic conduct whether it is for the pupose of scriptural studies or otherwise.
Opposing the laxity in monastic conduct it has been said that the monastic group in which the monks indulge in trading (buying and selling) of things, and have generally become corrupt of their monasticism, must be given a wide berth. In the verses from 118 to 122 the author has given the description of wilful nuns and said that such nuns do not confess and repent for their flaws, do not obey the head nun, do not serve the ill nuns, practice mantra and astrology, wear colourful clothes, keep fancy sweeps, wash their bodies and parts thereof again and again, order the householders about, make use of their seats and beds, do not study scriptures, do not perform expiatory retractions and do not carry out timely inspections of their monastic equipage, but perform the forbidden acts and that the monastic group of such nuns is deplorable.
From such as deep analysis of laxity in monastic life in the Gacchācāra Prakirnaka, it is evident that it is a composition of the period when laxity in monastic life had entrenched itself deeply and it was also being opposed quite vociferously. A glimpse at the history of Jainism reveals that such laxity in monastic conduct had started creeping in from the 3rd or 4th century. Firstly, the influence of leftist (Vāmamārgī) religious practices resulted in the advent of mantratantra and the resultant laxity in Jaina monastic orders as well. Secondly, during that time only, the Jaina monks started