Fundamental Principles of Jainism

Author(s): B C Law
Publisher: Z_Vijay_Vallabh_suri_Smarak_Granth_012060.pdf

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ACARYA VIJAYAVALLABHASURI COMMEMORATION VOLUME
taking the vow of silence; and (3) putting the body in an immovable posture. The walking of a well disciplined monk should be pure in respect to the ends, time, road and effort. Knowledge, faith and right conduct are the ends; the time is day-time; the road excludes bad ways; the effort is fourfold as regards substance, space, time and condition of mind. A well disciplined monk should work carefully; he should avoid pride, greed, deceit etc. He should use blameless and concise speech at the right time. For a detailed discussion of the subject, vide my 'Some Jaina Canonical Sūtras, p. 204.
In Jainism the five sinful deeds that one commits due to innate proneness to sin stand as opposed to five great vows (pañcamahåvratas) that follow from the principle of samvara or restraint. The five sinful deeds are: (1) harming life (himsā); (2) lying (mosa); (3) thieving (adatta); (4) incontinence (abambha), and (5) hankering after worldly possessions (pariggaha). The harming of life is deprecated by the Jainas. This sinful deed serves to generate delusion and great fear and brings about mental distress. This is the first road to impiety. The second road to impiety is lying which is defined and characterised as telling'an untruth, which makes a person light and fickle. This road to impiety also includes the preaching and promulgation of false doctrines and misleading philosophical views of life. The third door to impiety is taking away what is not given. It is defined as an act of stealing, oppressing, bringing death and fear, a terrifying iniquity and a sinful deed rooted in covetousness and greed. The fourth door to impiety is known as incontinence. It is defined as a sexual dalliance coveted in the worlds of gods, men and demons, which is a net and noose of amour, which is a hindrance to the practice of austerities, self-restraint and chaste life. The fifth and last door to impiety is hankering after worldly possessions, such as, gems, jewels, gold, landed properties, opulence, wealth, etc. It is rooted in greed and it is an expression of craving and thirst for worldly things.
To compress all that is knowable about the following tenets of Jainism as a practical religion within the bounds of a few pages will be welcome.
(1) Longing for liberation (samvega): By it the soul obtains an intense desire of the law.
(2) Disregard of worldly objects (nivveda): By it the soul quickly feels disgust for pleasures enjoyed by gods, men and animals.
1. Uttaradhyayana Sutra, Ed. J. Charpentier, pp. 178-181.