Jain Society Houston TX 1995 11 Pratistha

Author(s): Jain Society Houston TX
Publisher: USA Jain Society Houston TX

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The six surviving Chedasutras (one other has been lost) are concerned with monastic life and rules. The Buddhists have a rather similar collection dealing, like the Jain collection, with the minutiae of the life of a monk, and making, it must be admitted, rather difficult reading. However, included in the of the Chedasutras are the rules for a monk's conduct in the rainy season. This section has been combined with a set of biographies of the Tirthankaras, and lists of religious leaders, to form a separate work, probably the best-known and loved religious text of the Svetambara, the Kalpa Sutra.
Celebrating Jain Society of Houston Pratishtha Mahotsav 1995
1. NISITHA Deals with monastic transgressions and Punishments. Contains much incidental information on the social and cultural life of early India. The longest of the Chedasutras.
2. MAHANISITHA Related to the Nisitha: this text contains some interesting stories, making it more readable.
3. VYAVAHARA This also contains rules for monks and nuns and it is similar to the Brihatkalpa (below). It is ascribed to Badrabahu.
4.
DASASRUTASKANDHA (or ACARADASAH) contains lists of monastic transgressions as well as the required qualities of a monastic leader and other matters of monastic life. The Kalpa Sutra forms part of this Chedasutra.
BRIHATKALPA Another work detailing rules for monks and nuns. One interesting point is that the geographical limits beyond which monks should not travel are mentioned: these exclude the further western and southern parts of India, suggesting that the work was composed at a time before Jainism had spread that far beyond its original homelands.
PANCAKALPA This work does not survive in its original form and the present text under this name is apparently a much younger work. Details of the original Pancakalpa may be deduced from references in other works.
6.
JITAKALPASUTRA This text, compiled by Jinabhadra, is often regarded as a Chedasutra, making the number up to six (if the missing Pancakalpa is excluded). it deals with ten kinds of punishment.
The Angabahya texts (those outside the Angas) are frequently arranged according to the decreasing number of texts in the various groups (though this order is not inflexible).
Hence, after six Chedasutras we pass on to four Mulasutras.
Actually only three survice today though sometimes another text is brought in to make up the number to four.
1. UTTARADHYANA This is traditionally described as the last sermon of Mahavira before he achieved moksha. However in its present form modern scholars believe it to be a composite work containing subject matter of various dates. Nevertheless it is a very important and well-known text. The contents are concerned with various topics. Matters discussed include temptations, chastity, daily duties, austerities, and nature of karma, and other subjects.
2. DASAVAIKALIKA The meaning of the title is 'Ten (lectures going) beyond (prescribed study hours)'. The chapters deal alternately with monastic life in detail, and monastic life in general, the former being the odd-numbered lectures, and the latter the evennumbered.
3. AVASYAKA Another very important work, loosely constructed around the six essential daily formulae of recitation, with a lengthy introduction which appears to have been intended to introduce a longer work of which the present text is the earlier part.
4. The fourth Mulasutra has been lost.
There are two other texts, not always regarded as canonical. These are sometimes called the Chulikasutra (meaning 'Appendix'), but commonly they are listed separately without any collective title.
1. NANDISUTRA In this text there is a study of cognition and a survey of the other texts of the Svetambara canon, together with other miscellaneous material.
2. ANUYOGADVARA ('Investigations'). Like the Nandisutra this work contains summaries of the other canonical works and other matters of Jain belief. Finally, before leaving the Svetambara canonical works, mention may be made of the 14 Purvas. These are now lost, though references in other works give us an idea of the contents which included much early Jain belief on the nature of the universe and of the soul. They are believed to have formed the twelfth Anga (now lost).
"Jainism...is more simple, more rich, and varied than Brahmanical systems and not negative like Buddhism"
(Dr. A. Guiernot)
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