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WHY JAINISM AND BUDDHISM ARE THE SAME ? 285
difficulty will be felt by one who has practised it. Natural bliss can be enjoyed only by deep self-absorption. Goutama found it difficult for him and he thought it better to adopt the middle path of Sravakas or laymen. The rules of conduct which are applicable to the Brahmachari sravakas were followed by him and preached to others.
According to the Digambar Jain scriptures, a Brahmachari Sravaka of the 7th stage can have two or three or necessary clothes, can dine where he is invited, can sleep on simple cots etc. This sort of conduct was adopted and preached by Goutam Buddha. I saw this sort of practical conduct among the Buddhist monks of Ceylon. According to Digambar Jain scriptures the middle path has eleven stages. One who is on the last stage has a loin cloth only on the body: A layman in 11th stage while keeping one short cloth and one loin cloth is called a kşullaka and one who has only one loin cloth is called an ailaka. They do not accept invitations, but go out for alms like the saints. Leaving this controversial point whether Goutama found the conduct of nakedness unnecessary or difficult, it is proved from the Pali books that He preached to monks to have necessary clothings and this conduct very aptly agrees with that of the Swetambar Jain Saints of India, who also maintain that there is no necessity for putting aside all the clothes for a monk in his efforts for nirvana. Perhaps this might have been the idea of Goutam also
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