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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scriptures have classified right conduct in two categories namely: for a householder and for monks/ascetics. Due to his / her inadequacies of determination, capabilities and involvement in worldly pursuits, a householder cannot pursue mokşa-marga 100% of time. The practitioner gradually enhances the level of his detachment to worldly activities from almost beginning till hel she attains ascetic status and starts practicing the conduct of the ascetics who practice it 100% all the time.
Penance -tapa Penance is essential to achieve dissociation of existing karma from the empirical soul. Penance is broadly classified 15 as external (six types) aimed at different types of abstinence from foods and gaining control over bodily tendencies, and internal (six types) to develop detachment from the worldly things and ultimately free the soul from karmic matter by practicing proper interactions with others and learning, contemplating and meditating on the self /soul.
Religious rituals and practices: Rituals We shall divide these, derived from the six obligatory duties (Āvaśyaka), in routine daily religious activities performed at a place of worship called temple or sthānaka and periodic activities.
14 Conduct of householders consists of 1. Giving up seven vices, observing 8 basic virtues related to use of non violent food and drinks, six essential daily rituals namely
i. Sāmāyika or State of equanimity of the self (like meditation and yoga in Hinduism) ii. Caturvinsatistva or reciting the virtues of the 24tirthankaras. iii. Vandānā or veneration of the holy teacher/s. iv. Pratikramana. Recollecting the mistakes committed and seeking forgiveness. V. Kāyostarga or relaxation i.e. developing a feeling of separateness of body and self.
vi. Pratyakhana or vowing not to make mistakes or practice Moksa Marga in future. And minor vows called anūvratas namely Non-violence, Non-stealing, Truthfulness, Celibacy and NonPossessiveness with limitations. The concept of aņūvratas is based on minimizationof violence, stealing, lying, sex with own married wife only and acquiring possessions. Thus Jains talk of the paradigm 'prevention is better than cure' as the basis of their ethics. 15 Six external namely fasting, reducing normal diets, abstaining from specific foods, giving up delicious foods, lonely habitation and mortification of body; and six internal types namely: expiation, reverence, service, study, renunciation and meditation.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0
