Atonements In Ancient Ritual Of Jaina Monks

Author(s): Collete Caillat
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 46

30
If a sambhogika tresspasses on.more than three occasions, despite the atonements which redeem the transgression itself, he is often liable to be rejected from the commensality (visambhogarha, Samav 226 9; visambhogya, ibid 23a 1-2; 6). Vav 7, 2 and 3 teach how to denounce correctly the bond of sambloga.
The verb sambhuñjittae appears, in conjunction with samvasittae, “to live together," in the formula which denotes the admission of a monk into a specific religious group (Vav 6 10f.; 7, 1; 4f.; cf. K 4, 4; 1, 35). It seems in fact that commensality and living together often go together (T IV 33b 10). However, <commensality> is sometimes forbidden to monks who are, on the other hand, authorised to live together and to study together (Vav 2,.. 27; 1, 21).
Like the commentaries of Ullar and Samav the Hindi commentary of Hyderabad accept that the sambliogikas are those who eat together in the same circle: ek hi mandal par āhär bhogavane vāla (p. 25; ad'1, 35). It may be noted that, in certain circumstances at least, the communal meal served to manifest the bond of sambhoga; the ritual of the vihār'aloyaņā confession - i.e. that of a "commensal”, makes provision for the religious who comes to confession to take his collation with the other members of the group - after confession, if the transgression is a small one, before, if the transgression is serious enough to entail a form of excommunication (T II 17 b). All eat
in the circle” mandalyām bhunjate (ibid). What does this mean? It can be p. 41 seen elsewhere that out of compassion for the weak and inexperienced,
whose alms are liable to be insufficient, the religious normally eat <together in a circle> : sarvais tapo-viseșa-prati panna-varjitaiḥ sādhubhiḥ ekalra mandalyām blioktavyam (IV 826-83a). Was this 'circle' (mandali) physical or symbolical ? It was undoubtedly both. We learn from Jiya 26u that it was felt advisable to remove the dust from the ground before going inside it. The cunni of Siddhasena adds that "circles' are known of for three occasions - studying the text, studying the interpretation, and eating (cf. Leumann 1204). .
The Vay Bh Ț in fact mention <circles> of study, sūtra-mandali, arthamandalı, towards which are sometimes directed those monks whose aptitudes one wishes to test, or who need to be distracted from their passions (IV 18a 4; 16b 5ff.; 52a 7; infra). It is also from the <circle>, from the ground on which their companions meet, that monks "worthy of dismissal” or "excluded monks" are cut off (mandalya vyavacchina; bahih kşetrad avatişthate IV 26a 9; 536 4 f.).1
To sum up, it is highly probable that the main activities of the sambhoga were formerly carried out on a specific piece of ground. Its qualities scem much more specialised than those of the gana; apparently consisting in
1. On the symbolisen and virtues of the mandala, cf. G. TUCCI, Teoria e pratica del
Mandala 29 fr.