Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
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________________
SCHOOL
TIONAL
OF
SELF STUDY IS THE SUPREME AUSTERITY,
स्वाध्याय परमं तप
STUDIES
hook or crook to prevent people from going to other monks. They sow the seeds of fraction in their families.
In the "Hundis", one of 181 "bolas" and another of 306, Acārya Bhikṣu have presented a full account of the loose conduct among sadhus.
In Bhiksu's time the following beliefs and practices were current. Even the garb or semblance of lord Mahāvīra was to be saluted. It was believed that this particular time i.e. Pañcamakāla is not conducive for spiritual upliftment and therefore the rules prescribed were relaxed tremendously. There was a growing belief in "mixed religion" where one and the same act is regarded as sinful and meritorious. For example, the act of temple building involves violence of one sensed souls at the same time it leads it leads to the religious merit.
No discrimination was made between worldly pity and donation from spiritual compassion and donation, to take food prepared for him, to use articles purchased for a monk, to take food everyday from the same house. Not to inspect clothes and utensils so as to avoid any injury to insects', to initiate a householder without permission from his guardians to keep clothes and utensils beyond measure to make householders prepare copies for their personal use. Bhiksu wrote 1st lekhapatra in V.S.1832 from the point of view of the campaign for purity in conduct. Acharya Mahaprajna mentions the following main points:
"Many people say that there can be no religion without killing creatures. They hold that there is no sin if one's thought is pure. But how can the thoughts of those who intentionally kill be pure?
He said that where there is pity, there could be no religion without killing creatures. Violence is man's weakness, and that there can be no religion without violence is completely ominous.
It is no religion to preserve a creature by killing another. Religion is to exhort the irreligious to adopt religious ways.
To nourish creatures by killing others is the worldly way those who sense religion they are an ignorant lot.
Many people say that if creatures are killed with a sense of pity the result is both religion and sin. But sin does not lead to religion and religion does not lead to sin. There cannot be both in the same sense.
Sinful and religious actions are necessarily different.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0
