Jain Spirit 2001 12 No 09

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 27

Women Are Equals
school system. While there are probably over a hundred thou- | austerities in their daily life. They have totally renounced sand Buddhist (Theravada) monks at present in Sri Lanka, the killing of animals and some even exclude a variety of Burma, Thailand and Cambodia, their order of nuns has been vegetables from their diet. On holy days entire families extinct for more than a thousand years. In India proper practise total fasting from sunrise to sunrise, sometimes
HUGUES SERVE PALITANA, GUARAT
Jain worship ceremonies are simple, colourful and joyous Buddhism, alas, has "disappeared" altogether. Hindus, who extending it even to a week or more while still engaged in have countless male renunciants of innumerable denomina- the activities of daily life. The pressures of modern living tions, do not permit their women to leave the household; even will probably result in a shortage of monks and nuns even their widows must practise austerities within the protection of within India. In the western world, the migrant Jains withtheir family. The Jains are therefore distinguished by their out daily contact with these exemplars will most likely turn treatment of women as equals of men and their lay communi- to a moderate form of asceticism. The severe asceticism of ties have looked after them with great care and devotion. The the past, which was possible in an ancient economy and culJain ascetics have no home of their own, unlike the Christian ture, may not be sustainable in our present day society mendicants, they must continuously be on the move and subsist which does not believe in handing out food even to a holy on the food provided freely by the Jain householders. It is true mendicant. that their hardship appears to be too excessive to outsiders. But it should be remembered that in a population of some eight I have been to the Kumbh-mela, for instance, and I have hundred million followers of Indian religions, the number of seen some extraordinary sights of sadhus who stood on Jain mendicants is small indeed, and moreover their way of life one leg for five years. Would you agree that it is possible should be seen as that of exemplars.
to be over-ascetic?
When you talk about these exemplars I sometimes think it works the other way. The standard they set, the austerity which they practise are so extreme that a certain person like myself tends to think: "Well this is absolutely impossible, this cannot be a way for me. I cannot do it." So it is a counter example.
Yes, indeed, and the Jains have openly condemned all such practices. I have lived in Varanasi myself and have seen some of these ghastly practices but none of this is permitted to the Jain ascetics. If you visit a Jain temple you will see the images of the Jinas presented in only two postures. They are either seated in the so-called lotus posture or standing erect in deep meditation. They do not even raise their hand in a gesture of blessing or preaching, and unlike the Buddha, they are never shown in a reclining position.
So do I, believe me. I cannot practise it either. But I see a great many Jain laymen and women practising some of these
December 2001- February 2002. Jain Spirit
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