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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
529
If the aspirant-candidate is found deserving for initiation into monkish order of life then auspicious time is fixed and this is known technically "purity of time". Most auspicious timings for initiation into monkish order are four periods of Uttarashada, Uttara Bhadrapada, Uttara-falguni and Rohini Nakshatras (Constellations). Fourteenth, fifteenth, eighth, ninth, sixth, fourth and twelfth days of both the halves of a month are avoidable for initiation. Thus excepting these days, remaining days should be fixed for initiation.
Initiation should be given in a sacred or pure place and such observance is technically known as "Purity of place". By pure places one should understand sugarcane farm, paddy field, bank of a lake, a flowery chamber, garden or a park, river bank or a jain temple. By purity of directions, it is understood that a would-be monk is to be seated facing the eastern or northern quarter, wherein the omniscient lords are supposed to sojourn, or facing a jain temple. The current practice is that the would-be-monk is seated facing the "divine assembly” (samavasaran). Thus purity of directions is maintained.
Purity of "Prostrations" is carried out by observing prostrations to the holy image, holy gods, posture of self-abnegation, by accepting sacred on guents on the head, by holding a broom-stick, and by accepting the monkish uniform of dress.
Thus, the aspirant is initiated by observing five-fold purity. At this moment, the preceptor makes him recite "Kareni Bhante". He is further made to solemnly take up a vow of retrogression from violence of innumerable living beings and all sorts of sins. Thereafter, in due course, when final initiation ceremony takes place the new monk has to solemnly affirm to observe five great vows and the sixth vow of refraining from nocturnal dinner.
FIRST GREAT VOW
First great vow is the vow of abstaining from any kind of injury to living beings. This vow prohibits injury inflicted mentally, orally or physically on any minutest or gross, moving or non-moving beings. This vow further prohibits causing anyone to injure and not to encourage such agent of injury. This vow stands at the top of all the remaining vows and that is why it is initiated first.
