________________
Celibacy according to Jainism
125
The sūtra--writer states that if a celibate resorts to any of the prohibited acts mentioned above, he will most certainly, fall dowo from his celibacy. There stands the added possibility of his suffering from mental and physical diseases born of passionateness.
(5) Variety and Widening of the form of Celibacy
However, the purport of celibacy is for more subtie and expansive in the Jain Scriptures than ordinarily understood, as above. Whenever an individual takes to initiation of Jainism, he has to take five oaths, of which the fourth is the adoption of celibacy. It is in these words : O respected guru! I completely renounce all sex acts. I shall not, for my whole life, resort to any sex act-dive ine, human or one pertaining to animals and birds. I shall not cause others to resort to the same by mind, words and body. If anyone else is resorting to it, I shall not give my consent to it in the three ways.
The abovementioned ninefold celibacy that finds place in the initiation of a muni as described above, is the ultimate and perfect form of celibacy. Still, the Jain Ācāryas have not nourished the false hope and insistence of making all observe the same. If an individual is endowed with full capacity and power, the complete and perfect ideal of celibacy would be preserved. If man's capability is meagre, pretension would spread in the name of perfect ideal.. With the ideal that such a thing should not happen, the Jain: Ācāryas kept the limited capability and spirit of man in view and preached limited celibacy also. Just as there is no scope of difference in perfection, there is no scope of absence of the same in limited celibacy. Limited celibacy would therefore have many types, and, as a result, it would naturally lead to varied types of its vows and observances. The Scriptures conceive of 49 types of this jimited celibacy, and the person concerned selects one or the other according to his due qualification and capability. One might not be able to resort to perfect celibacy of the initiation of a mudi, and still the householder, who is a prospective candidate, selects the ideal and desires to progress in its direction. The Jain Scriptures supply us with varied rules by which such housebolders
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
