Basic Jain Culture Non Possession

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

Page 28

Auspicious is Lord Mahavira Auspicious is Gautama-the Chief disciple Auspicious is Sthulabhadracharya
Auspicious is the Jain Religion. These two verses also indicate that Mahavirian order was intact for sufficient time after Mahavira and Gautama- the chief disciple. It is later the verses were composed on the basis of clothlessness and clothedness with different names of Kundakunda and Sthulabhadra. The names of Mahavira and Gautama are the same in both the verses. It is on this basis that Digambaras do never offer bowings to a clothed saint assuming him not to be a knotless saint and teacher. They also do not recite the auspicious litany in the form which is being recited by some people now.
The religion of non-possession also indicates spiritualism which shows the pure nature of the soul different from alien entities. It is only for acquiring this non-possessed state, that the practices of Pratikramana (penitential retreat), renunciation and equanimity are prescribed. The term 'Pratikramana' means to come back to pure soul. The term 'Pratyakhyan' means not to go to aliens and 'equanimity' means 'stabilisation in the self. It is all pragmatic statement that religion means to get away from the inauspicious and to move into the auspicious. (i) Penitential retreat (pratikramana)
The living being surrounded by possessions moves every time towards them in terms of volitions of attachment and aversion etc. and he becomes unaware of his self which carries them to the tendency of engagements in virtue and sin or continuation of worldly cycle. The penitential retreat has been prescribed to get away from possession or karma-bonding activities and to return towards the non-possessed self-soul. There is a complete proscription of engagement in the alien and prescription of moving towards the non-possessed self-soul. This involves expressions of penitence for worldly activities and not to repeat them.