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Some Noteworthy Features...
-in however desirable a form -is tantamount to weakening the force of that appeal for recruitment to the monastic order. This whole attitude is in marked contrast to the practice of the later Jaina authors who would prescribe a pious householder's code of conduct to the person who is not too much food of things worldly but is yet not in a position to embrace monkhood. At one place (19.26) the text says in so many words of an ideal moral performance that it is impossible on the part of those who stay at home; (the passage does contain numerous other condemanatory epithets but they are obviously a consequence of 'homely life' and that is the point). For the rest, the text describes (23.8) how a monk's social relatives seek to tempt him back to the worldly life, (27.28) how a house. holder might make to a monk the offer of on unauthorized type of alms, (27.29); how there are householders who cause trouble to a wondering monk (19.30. 25.32) and in connection with the account of Mahāvīra's asceticism there is a detailed decsription (35.23 ff.) of how he was actually harassed by ill-managed worldlings.
In this connection our attention is first drawn to a repeated statement (10. 18, 19.28) that the ideal monks make use of things that are coarse and rough (also cf.26.20 where a monk is asked not to be afraid of things rough). At another place (16.10) a monk is asked to thrash down bis body, to weaken down himself, to consume down himself-just as fire churns down old stock of wood. One passage (24.25) describes the monks, whose arms bave grown weak, whose flesh and blood have grown attenuated-presumably the description of ascetics with permanently upraised arms. And in connection with the account of Mahāvīra's asceticism (36.19) we are told how he suffered bardships in winter and in summer, how he imposed on himself restrictions as to the intake of food and drink, Then take the passages which refer to the procurement of food, clothing, shelter-and to no procurement of medicine." The food is to be consumed irrespective of whether it is good-smelling or bad-smelling (24.11); if one is denied alms one should not get angry, if one is given little one should not make a long face (8.15), and in any case one should be in know of the proper quantity of food to be consumed (9.2). Further, we are told (37.5) what type of coarse food Mabāvira used to receive in the alms, his self-denying modes of procuring food are described (36.30). As for clothes, they are not to be washed, not to be coloured, and they are to be received, unwashed and un-coloured (29.6). Fire is not to be used by way of shelter agaiost cold (28.32); and we are told how Mahavira with no clothes on at all put up with the hardships of winter (34.15,35.10). Some idea of the coarse nature of a monk's shelter can be formed when we are incidentally informed (27.28) of one seated at the
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