Jain Journal 1978 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 35

Evolution of Jaina Sangha
J. C. SIKDAR
[from the previous issue]
Factors Regulating the Distribution of Jaina Sanghas, Ganas, Gacchas, etc.
Whenever a close study of some particular Jaina Sangha is made, one is struck by the remarkable fitness of the monastic order for the place in which it moves and lives. This fitness of monastic organization, its structure and function, even behaviour pattern of it, has arisen in the course of evolution of Jaina Sangha for survival. The outcome of its evolution is a population of monastic order, a Sangha, adapted to survive in a certain type of social environment. Jaina Sangha or Gana or Gaccha shows adaptations both to the socio-economic and political environment. physical environment, nature and to the monastic and religious environment, which includes all the Jaina Sanghas, Ganas, Gacchas, etc. and other religious sects living in the same region. It is why Jaina Sangha or a branch of Jaina Sangha is not found everywhere in India. Some parts of India are too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry or too dusty or something else for the Jaina monastic organizations to survive there.61 The climatic environment may not kill the Jaina monks directly, as they can bear the parişahas (forbearance) but effectively keeps Jaina Sangha or Gana or Gaccha, etc. from becoming established there. It prevents its propagation of dharma and observance of religious vows of ahimsa, etc. in the Jaina monastic life cycle.
So, most Jaina monastic orders are not found in all the regions of India, even in such places where they could survive. The existence of natural barriers or social environments62 prevents their further dispersal and enables one to distinguish the major mission realms characterized by certain assemblages of Jaina Sanghas, Ganas or Gacchas etc.
61 e.g., Kashmir is too cold, Assam and East Bengal (Bangladesh) are too wet.
They are not the proper places for the growth, development and survival of Jaina Sangha, as the ahimsa vratin Jaina monks cannot live there for the clemecy of weather with full observance of non-violence in their daily
ascetic life. 62 e.g., the nets of rivers and the social environment of fish and meat eating
population of Bangladesh prevented the spread of Jainadharma and Sangha there although North Bengal and West Bengal have no such natural barriers and social environments. It is there once only Jainism flourished in the early period as is evidenced by the Kalpasutra Sthaviravali and some archaeological deposits.