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56
Early Jainism
Acaranga II chapter 1 lies in its collecting at one place a fairly large number of injunctions and prohibitions pertaining to the question. The most important in this connection is section 1 (divided into 11 subsections which is devoted to the most important problem of food-collection; a closer perusal of it should give one a fairly clear idea of the type of scruples developed by the Jaina theoreticians in relation to this problem. Broadly speaking, these scruples fall in two categories-viz. (i) while those which seek to assure that no injury is inflicted on living beings while procuring or taking food and (ii) those which seek to assure that no greediness is exhibited while doing the same.
So far as the call for avoiding injury to the living beings was concerned it was no mere insistence on a vegetarian diet. For the Jainas were of the view that not only are the animals normally slaughtered for food are animate beings but so also are the ordinary particles of earth, water, fire, air and all growing as well as as freshly cut plants. In this background is to be understood the very first prohibition laid down in chater 1, section 1; it is to the effect that one should avoid food that is somehow got mixed up with live entities, moss, raw seeds, green vegetables, cold water, dust particles' (523-24). Likewise, there is next prohibited the eating inadequately fried vegetables, beans, rice and the like (525-8). Subsequently, it is said about a large variety of fruits, fibres, leaves and the like that they are not to be consumed in a raw state (601-14). Then there is a prohibition to the effect that things placed at a height and taken out from there should not be accepted as alms; the fear that in his endeavour to dole out such things the donor might slip and fall and might injure himself or the other living beings existing around (587). Similarly, there is a prohibition to the effect that things placed under a claylid and taken out from there by breaking open this lid should not be accepted as alms; the fear was that all this might involve injury to the living beings existing around (589). Regard for the safety of the living beings existing around is also had in mind when the monk is asked to so conduct his begging-tour that the obstacles lying on the way are skirted around rather than crossed over (568-71). These illustrations should make possible the appreciation of those injunctions and prohibitions which are aimed at assuring that no injury is inflicted on the living beings while procuring or taking food.
Then there are the injunctions and prohibitions which are aimed at assuring that no greediness is exhibited while procuring or taking food. Thus the monk is asked not to visit for alms a house where on the occasion of some festival food is specially prepared to be doled out to the monk, the brahmin, the guest, the poor, the begger (540, 543); the fear was
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