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COMPENDIUM OF JAINISM
religion. It must be of right type and should be free from false notions about God, scriptures and the precepts. Such right faith works as an inspiration for acquisition of Right Knowledge which ought to be reflected in conduct in daily life. As Jacobi says, Jaina ethics has for its end the realization of Nirvāņa or Mokşa. To effect this end, the rules of conduct must be observed and corresponding virtues must be acquired. 2
Conduct is reflection in action of inner faith in religion or moral values cherished by an individual. His degree of selfcontrol and attitude of mind are evident from his behaviour. The difference in the conduct of two individuals towards a matter or other persons is largely due to the difference in their cultural and religious upbringing modified by the values of life which themselves might have developed during the period of their growth.
From the religious point of view, Jainism has prescribed rules of conduct separately for the i) the householder (śrāvaka) and ii) the ascetic (muni). The rules of conduct prescribed for them are called srāvaka-dharma and muni-dharma, respectively. Some of the vows and austerities which are common to both are intended to be observed by the ascetics with greater rigour and diligence than by the householder. The reason is that a householder has to look after his family and adjust himself to the social and political conditions in which he lives. An ascetic has no suc limitations as he abandons all of them with the sole aim of pursuing a spiritual path. He can observe the vows fully as he is in full control of his senses and is in a position to curb his passions quite easily due to his religious learning and spritual discipline.
Since the aim of the rules of conduct and vows prescibed for the śrāvakas is self-purification, it is but natural that they should be classified on the basis of their faith and capacity. A srāvaka is one who listens (sșņoti) or who has faith. It is common experience that men and women differ everywhere in their capacity for intellectual grasp and firmness of will. The Jaina thinkers have accordingly adopted a three-fold division : i) pākṣika
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