________________
PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
519
These vows with right faith of a lay disciple are twelve. We shall narrate briefly because detailed narration would necessitate a separate series of discourses and we cannot afford to spare so much time.
Right faith is essential as without it twelve vows cannot be maintained properly.
RIGHT FAITH (Observance)
There is prescribed rite to be initiated into these twelve vows. They are initiated in excellent place, at auspicious time, to a properly tested disciple in the presence of God's shrine. One who is initiated right faith has to solemnly take the following affirmation.
"From today onwards till I exist I have accepted Lord Arihanta as my God, ideal monk as my preceptor and the words of the Omniscient Lord as final truth. I shall not honour anyone else as my God and as my preceptor and nothing else as my religion. I have thus solemnly accepted right faith in the presence of God, preceptor and sangha (fourfold Jain community).”
TWELVE VOWS
We have already mentioned twelve vows when we discussed stages of merits attained by a soul; still however, we shall reiterate them as we are dealing with partial non-attachment. Rechanting of incantations do bring about more efficacy similarly twelve vows of daily maintenance bring about their maturity in mind, lest they would be effaced away from the mental state. These twelve vows are as follows:
1. Non-violence in general. 2. Telling no lies in general. 3. Not accepting what is not given (in general). 4. Refraining from copulation (in general). 5. Limiting possessions. 6. Limiting distance of journey. 7. Limiting enjoyment of objects of pleasure and consumption. 8. Refraining from purposeless penalty. 9. Self-study.
