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Celebrating Jain Society of Houston Pratishtha Mahotsav 1995
For an eight to ten day period. known as Parvusana Parva, the laypeople take various temporary restraints from food, fasting altogether, eating only one -meal a day, and so on; towards the end of this period they go through confession. The admissions of sins, and accompanying pleas for forgiveness (kshama), are directed not only to a teacher but to all of one's family and friends, irrespective of age or sex. Letters are written to those relatives and acquaintances not in attendance, repeating the same acknowledgments of wrongdoing and solicitations of pardon. Finally the participant in a samvatsari extends his own forgiveness to all beings and asks that they grant the same favor to him; this is done by repetition of a famous verse which points up the real spirit of pratikramana-the establishment of universal friendship and goodwill:
some thirty-five to fifty hours. During this interval he remains in strict seclusion from his family. Sleeping very little at night, he may chant the Namokara litany or read the scriptures; for the most part, however, he will observe silence and meditate upon the virtues of the Jina. Bathing, or even washing of the mouth, is not allowed, unless one plans to perform dravyapuja. (Bhava-puja is more strongly recommended while fasting, but the external ceremony, requiring prior purification by bathing, is not proscribed). He returns home on the morning of the ninth, does devapuja at his home shrine, gives alms to begging mendicants, and then breaks his fast.
ksamemi sawajive sawe jiva khamantu me, metti me sawvabhuesu veram majjha na kenavi
I ask pardon of all living creatures; may all of them pardon me. May I have a friendly relationship with all beings and unfriendly with none.
The pratyakhyana aspect of visiting one's teacher never developed into any rituals so elaborate as the samvatsari. In accordance with the great Jain emphasis on fasting, the layman typically performs pratyakhyana by renouncing certain kinds of food. This usually involves only temporary abstention, but in some cases it can be undertaken for life. It is accomplished by utterance of a formula similar to the following:
Voluntary abstinence from food and water contributes to a person's spiritual progress by reducing his attachment to the body. Less direct but equally important benefits result from the widespread practice of sharing one's food with others. This activity closely connected to the dana siksavrata, is called atithi-samvibhaga, sharing with guests. The term atithi literally means "no date"; such a "guest", therefore, is one who arrives without invitation, who is simply passing by the door in search of alms. In Indian society only those who are brahmacarins (celibate students) or who have renounced the world altogether are allowed to beg food. A normal householder must never do this; his position is to give, not take. In those cases where extreme poverty drives ordinary people into a beggar's role despite this cultural restriction, it is understood that alms will be offered them only out of compassion on the part of the donor; no great spiritual merit accrues to such charity, since householders are not considered "worthy recipients". Presenting alms to an ascetic, on the other hand, is thought to bring one closer to salvation. Thus can be understood the fact that, while most beggars thank the person who gives them food, in the case of feeding holy men it is the donor who expresses his gratitude. For a Jain, the inherent benefits of charity to a monk are increased by the holy man's conferring a blessing upon him each time a gift is received. (This blessing involves the same "may your righteousness increase" formula noted earlier with regard to guru-upasti).
When the sun is risen / renounce for the duration of a day (or certain portion thereof, as the case may be) the fourfold aliments (cooked food, water, snacks, and pastes) and except for cases of unawareness or of force majeure..... Or of instructions from a monk or except in order to attain full tranquility of mind, I abandon them.
Fasting and Presentation of Alms
Ritual fasting is also associated with lay observance of the parvan days, referred to earlier in connection with the posadhavrata. The virtue of going without food or drink on these days has long been stressed by Jain teachers; even the early Buddhist texts refer to it as a characteristic practice of the Niganthas. Fasting actually begins after a single meal. on the day prior to the parvan period. The layman takes breakfast on the morning of the seventh, for example, then retires to a temple or fasting hall for
Hence the act of sharing food with a worthy "guest" has assumed the form of an important ritual among Jain laity. Only those who observe at least the mulagunas are "qualified" to engage in this ritual. The Jain medicant must therefore avoid begging at any household, whether Jain or Hindu, not confirmed in the basic practices of the Jina's path (not observing strict vegetarianism).
"A lie has no legs, it must be supported by other lies"
(Author Unknown)
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