ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 02

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 359

INTERNATION
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SCHOOL
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OF
Mahāvīra, in the end invokes his listeners to believe in omniscient who can cognize subtle things that life exposits in one sensed beings. To support his claim, he even provides anti bodies of each type of living being belonging to sthāvara category.
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SELF STUDY IS THE
SUPREME AUSTERITY
स्वाध्याय परम
Concerning the living beings with mobile bodies, it talks of three ways in which such beings are born e.g. those born out of some liquids /sweat and by cracking the earth (all three put in the category called sammurchima or unconscious beings like bacteria, virus, live cells in sperm or body etc); out of the egg born with naked body or in a shell through a birth place called garbhaja and finally with celestial body like heavenly and hellish beings i.e. without a specific place from where they are born. Mobile beings are those who have the knowledge to move i.e. to be comfortable they move from place to place in search of food, pleasure or avoiding pain etc. Acārānga talks of a number of reasons due to which the mobile beings are killed or hurt by others, e.g.
STUDIES
Medicinal and cosmetic effect i.e. by using the body or eating the flesh/ using urine or using teeth of some type of beings, the disease can be cured or enhance the potency or beauty of he user /killer.
For using the skin of living beings for use as clothing, shoes etc.
Fearing that such and such types of beings will kill or had killed / hurt me or my loved
ones.
For entertainment like bull fight, riding, transport of goods and people etc.
Ahimsa or non violence:
The arhats and the bhagavats of the past, present and future, all say thus, speak thus, declare thus, explain thus: all breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away. This is the pure, unchangeable, eternal law, which the clever ones, who understand the world, have declared.
Paṇaya vīrā mahāvihā i.e. only strong people can practice be dedicated to Ahimsa. The path of Ahimsa is the path of strong and not of the cowards. Ahimsa niunan ditṭhā savvabhūesu sanjamo i.e. self restraint towards all types of living beings is Ahimsa. Thus Ahimsa implies the path of self restraint /samyama. Those ascetics, who wish to protect from the ills of the world, purify to attain liberation, make it of auspicious nature to avoid pains, their souls of the
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0