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· JAINISM AND BUDDHISM
obeisance, bow and pray like the Jains and use generally flowers for worship and burn incense and light candles. Everything is put in front of the images nothing is put over them. Among some Digambar Jains and mostly among the Svetambar Jains, the mode of worship has considerably changed. They put flower etc., over the images and some cover them with flowers altogether. The Svetambar Jains even decorate their images with ornaments etc. There is no such decoration for the Buddhist images. They keep them very clean. Among the Digambar Jains of Northern India called the Tera Panthis--the images are kept more clean ; they do not put flowers etc., over them. The expression of unattachment is thereby properly kept. I attended in Ceylon two great Buddhist fairs, one on the birth-day of Buddha or Vaisakha sudi 14, and the other on Jetha Sudi 14, commemorating the day of the landing in Ceylon of Asoka's son Mihinda. I saw thousands of men and women bare-footed paying hearty homage to their images like the Jains. There was simplicity in the women, who were seen going on pilgrimage with pure flowers etc. If any one asked them where they were going, they would answer that they were going for Vandana or paying homage. As it is customary for the Jains to bath their images daily, this custom was not found prevalent among the Buddhists. In many places, they put glasses before the images, to prevent dust. I did not see uncleanliness, or wetness in their shrines.
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