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26 Harmless Souls 'only to beings with two or more senses (trasa), it is extended for the monk or nun to include the infinitely larger group of single-sense beings (ekendriya) and element bodies (sthāvara )'.64 In later Jainism, it is this complete vow concerning ahimsā which marks the real distinction between the advanced lay-person and the mendicant. In the earliest texts it had similarly distinguished the practice of the Jaina monks from that of all others, but there the distinction was absolute.
Thus, in the early texts, there are passages such as Āyāramga 1.1.2.2-4:
Take note - there are innumerable tiny beings individually embodied in earth. Take note - there are some men who truly control themselves, safeguarding even these beings, while others, (such as the monks of other sects) fail to do so and thus are only pretending to be renunciants.65
In such a context the life of the householder inevitably entails himsā, bondage, and a bad rebirth.
ii) Merit and Rebirth As we have seen, the very earliest texts (i.e. the earliest parts of the Āyāramga, Sūyagadamga and Dasaveyāliya Suttas) are dominated by the idea that virtually all action is harming and therefore binding, since harming is the root of karma.66 Typical in this respect is Āyāramga 1.3.1.3, which asserts that 'action results in misery' (ārambhajam dukkham). In other words, the possibility of some kind of meritorious activity scarcely arises; it is only by restraint from action that one can hope to improve one's condition
64 JPP p. 241.
65 P.S. Jaini's trans. (JPP pp. 241-242) of: santi pāņā pudho siyā, lajjamāņā pudho pasa; anagārā 'motti ege pavayamāņā jam inam viruvarūvehim sattehim pudhavikammasamārambhenam ... anegarūve pāne vihimsai.
66 Āy. 1.3.1.4 - kammamulam ... chaņam.
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