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The atmospheric conditions are usually not limiting factors for Jaina monastic orders except for the monks moving to the acquatic environments of East Bengal and Assam.
JAIN JOURNAL
Defficiences of requisites of monks produce severe deficiency-disease in them. Certain regions of India are unsuitable for raising the corps of monks because of the factors of too much cold weather, too much rain fall and water currents, limiting the growth and development of Jaina Sanghas there, e.g. Kashmir, Assam and East Bengal. There are marked differences in the rank and file of the Jaina monks of a still and peaceful atmosphere65 and swiftly flowing atmosphere of the society. So the type of personalities of Jaina monks of different climatic, regional, social atmospheres is also a limiting factor for the growth and development of many Jaina Sanghas there.
Fire also may be a factor of monastic ecologic importance for the distribution of Jaina Sanghas, for the Jaina monks use only the water, strained, boiled and cooled down by the laities in their daily ascetic life. If fire is not available, it is not possible for the Jaina laities to boil and cool down water for offering it to their monks when they come for it.
The physical limiting factors described above are important in determining whether or not a given Jaina Sangha or Gana or Gaccha can become established in a given region. Each region is inhabited by a host of people and animals and plants. There are many inter-relationships among them. A Jaina Sangha living in any given area as ascetic community may be composed of smaller groups, the members of which are more intimately associated. There is no sharp distinction between the population and a Jainasadhusamudaya (community of Jaina monks). The need of living beings whether monks, householders, animals or plants is food and energy. A closer inspection reveals that all organisms down to the monks have the same basic needs for survival, the same problems of getting food for energy, getting space to live, producing a new generation, and so on. In solving these problems, the plants and animals, householders and monks have evolved into a tremendous number of different forms, each adapted to live in some particular sort of environment. So food and shelter67 are essential requisites for the physical existence of Jaina monks. If subhiksa is not available to a Jaina Sangha in a region, it will have to move to a suitable place, for no Jaina Sangha can survive without food and shelter. [to be continued
65 e.g., Gujarat.
66 e.g., Bombay and Calcutta.
67 Subhiksa (navakotisuddhahara) and Upasrayas or any vaccant house are necessary for the Jaina monks.
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