Food And Freedom

Author(s): Paul Dundas
Publisher: Paul Dundas

Page 36

196
Paul Dundas
p. 860 line 5) the process of samudghāta by which the soul expands outside the confines of its body and assumes various shapes (dandakapāțādividhānam) in order to reduce excess feeling-producing karma would be pointless if that karma was still to produce some kind of negative effect afterwards so that liberation could not be achieved. In reality, feeling-producing karma can have no effect upon the kevalin, just as he cannot be subject to passions arising through contact with the objects of the senses. It is only deluding karma which can bring these things about. For kevalisamudghāta see Tatia, Studies in Jaina Philosophy, p. 280
and Jaini, Path, pp. 268–269. 146 NKC, p. 860 lines 6 to 17. Prabhācandra suggests (NKC, p. 860 lines 18 to 21)
that scriptural references to meditation as a way of completely stopping hunger
take precedence over references to alms-begging which is merely temporary. 147 NKC, p. 860 line 23 - p. 861 line 8. 148 NKC, p. 861 lines 8 to 15. 149 NKC, p. 861 lines 16 to 24. 150 NKC, p. 862 lines 3 to 9. Prabhācandra interprets TS 9.11 'there are eleven
(ekādaśa) endurances in the kevalin' as a prohibition by the dubious means of breaking up ekādaśa as if it contained the negative prefix a- so that the word is
taken to mean 'not ten when exceeded by one' (ekena adhika na daśa ekādaśa). 151 NKC, p. 862 lines 13 to 15. Here Prabhācandra is specifically referring to the
tirtharkara. 152 NKC, p. 862 line 19 - p. 863 line 4. 153 NKV, p. 863, lines 5 to 9. 154 NKC, p. 863, lines 10 to 21. 155 NKC, p. 863 line 22 - page 864 line 5. 156 NKC, p. 864 lines 6 to 13. 157 NKC, p. 864 lines 14 to 24. 158 NKC, p. 865 lines 1 to 10. 159 The bulk of his treatment of kevalibhukti is reprinted in Muni Jambūvijaya's
edition of Strīnirvanakevalibhuktiprakarane; see footnote 73. 160 K. K. Dixit, Jaina Ontology, p. 155 161 For Yaśovijaya see Schubring, Lehre der Jainas, p. 52 and Williams, Jaina Yoga,
p. 16 and p. 27. 162 Bhavnagar, samvat 1965. 163 Adhyātmikamatakhandana verse 10 and commentary, pp. 61a-62b. Yasovijaya
also attempts to refute the Digambara view that a person on the religious path does not need an alms-bowl and need only use his hands as a receptacle for food. Using an alms-bowl, he claims, does not imply any sort of worldly possession for, by the same token, the human body would also be a possession. Any possible delusion which might arise from using such a bowl would have to be extended to basic human activities like sitting and walking; in reality nothing in the world is a bond or a non-bond, it is only infatuation (mūrcha) which makes it seem so. Indeed, not using an alms bowl leads to the worst of sins, destruction of lifeforms, for, if the monk were to eat with his hands, liquid would drip down through the gaps in his fingers to which insects would be attracted and then trodden upon. To place such importance upon lack of an alms-bowl is, claims Yaśovijaya, as foolish as thinking that nakedness is connected with omniscience, for, if that were so, as soon as the kevalin put on clothes or took up an alms-bowl, his omniscience would disappear. In reality, the kevalin has conquered the afflictions and eating in fact means taking what is suitable and avoiding what is unsuitable. See Adhyātmikamatakhandana, pp. 57b-59b.