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Ethics or conduct based on non violence Ācārya Amrtacandra11 says all the five types of sins, namely violence, lying, stealing, accumulating possessions/ greed and lust or non observance of celibacy are all derivatives of violence itself as all these sins adversely affect the true nature of the soul.
This differentiation is very important contribution of Jains to minutely understand the concept of non violence. The monks are required to observe non violence completely throughout their life for all types of living beings. On the other hand the householders are required to observe complete non violence for mobile living beings (called trasa or with 2 to 5 sensed beings) and minimize (i.e. exercise extreme caution) violence for stationery/immobile (sthāvara) living beings 12. Even for immobile living beings, violence against gross (i.e. those which are perceptible by sense organs) like vegetation is frowned upon and violence against subtle (i.e. non-perceptible by sense organs) like air/water /fire/earth bodied living beings is to be minimized so that the householder can perform his daily duties of worldly nature 13
'Knowingly or unknowingly not causing pain or killing of any living being by activities of mind, body or speech; or not asking others to do so or not to admire or support those who do so is Non-violence'14.
To be non violent, Amrtacandra15 beautifully discusses and describes the following four elements and show how they are directed towards the one who is committing violence and indirectly towards the one on whom violence is being committed:
Hinsya or the one on whom the violence is to be committed. Hinsaka or the one who commits the act of violence Hirsā or the act of committing violence Hirsā kā phala or the results of committing violence
11 Atmaparināmahimsanahetutvātvatsarvameva himsaitat/
antavacanădikevalamudahr tam sisyabodhāyal Purusārthasidhyupāyā, verse 42 12 Samsărintrasa-sthāvarah, Tattvārthasūtra by Umāsvāmi, sutra II. 12 13 Pranātipātavitatathavyāhārāsteya kamamurcchärybhyah/ Sthūlebhyah păpebhyo vyuparmanam nuvratam bhavatil Ratnakarandasräväkäcāra by Samantabhadra,
verse 11.5/51 14 | Yi kdrdkfjreuukkx=;L; pjl Uoku-A u fguflr : Unkg LFkyo/kkf}je ka fui qkk%AA53A Ratnakarandasrāvākācāra by Samantabhadra commentary by Prabhācandra and Hindi by PL Shastri 15 Purusārthasidhyupāya, verse 51-63
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