Basic Jain Culture Non Possession

Author(s): Padamchand Shastri, N L Jain
Publisher: Veer Seva Mandir Trust

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sex with his own wife. (v) However, a votary is never called observer of the vow of non
possession despite renouncing the major quantity of possessions but having a small amount of it. Why is it so?
In fact, these traditions have been designed with the object of social obligations rather than theoretical considerations. For example, the term 'Maithuna' (copulation) is the volition and/or activity of sexindulgence irrespective of its reference to normal or illicit case. The copulation in all cases is non-celibacy. When a person marries a girl who offers herself to her husband, he addresses her as having a moral character. Does it, in fact, go beyond the limit of'copulation or noncelibacy'? It is never so. It is admitted only for some practical adjustments.
The people knowingly gather various means of copulation and declare it as 'celibacy' in swinging words. This is only a social custom and not the ideal religious character. But it does not happen so with possession as it happens in case of other sins. The people do not show courage to declare a person as 'non-possessed' if he has even a small amount of possession-what to say of songs in his praise?
The basic cause of all this is the high potency of possession. The venerable karma destroyers or Arhats have led us on the path to renounce it. And this path was basically designated as 'Jain Culture'.
It is, thus, clear that non-violence etc. are religion whose origin is the basic culture of non-possession. Just as there is no possilbility of shoots and branches in the absence of roots, similarly, no branches of sin like violence etc. can grow in the absence of root of possession. Accordingly, we should admit that non-possession is the basic culture of Jain system.
The saintly acharyas have mentioned two compulsory conditions while defining violence which are