Fundamental of Jainism

Author(s): Prithviraj Jain
Publisher: Prithviraj Jain

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no food after sunset. They are enjoined to earn their livelihood in a just manner; to help the needy and the poor, to show reverence to the ascetic order, to study religious scriptures and to be tolerant to other faiths. Monogamy, and that also with the practice of self-restraint, is regarded as the ideal form of marriage. Honest dealings are emphasized. One Acharya has said :
Even the virtuous cannot accumulate heaps of wealth by honest earnings. Has any one seen the rivers flooded with pure water ?11
Honest and just living does not lead to hoarding. By it one can earn only enough to make both endsmeet. Jain householders in general have been peace loving, faithful and upright throughout their history. Their rules of conduct can be learned in detail from the Upasakadashanga, the Yogashastra, the Ratnakarandashravakachara, etc.
The matter which so far has kept the soul in bondage and has prevented it from attaining final liberation is known as Karma. It is bound up with the soul. Ir is regarded as material and of very subtle form. Every action, every word, every thought, produces, besides its visible effect, an invisible transcendental one which, under certain conditions, materializes in reward or punishment, according to its nature or force. The intellectual, spiritual or material differences found in various beings are understood to be the result of the different individual Karmas. Karma has eight main divisions, each with many subdivisions. The Jain Acharyas have given an exhaustive account of the various Karmas, dealing
11 GUNA-BHADRA: Atmanushasana, 45.
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