Jain Spirit 2005 06 No22

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

Page 33

satiated overnight. A muni has to cultivate the right attitude towards eating. The selection of food is a very important step in this routine. While begging, they do accept the faultless food prepared from vegetarian items with minimum injury to living beings (plant life). Apart from this, the selection of food should not be aimed at enhancing longevity, relishing and strengthening of physical power. These munis, especially in the Digambara sect, do have the one-meal-a-day concept. They can go begging once a day. They cannot partake in water or medicine for the second time. It is a norm for the muni to take less food than is needed. They follow selfimposed conditions while selecting the household (shravak) for the begging.
FEATURES differentiation of soul and matter become the prime subject of meditation during these adverse environmental situations. That is how they are able to cope with all these adversities. All these practices are performed to make their bodies completely thermostatic in a natural way. They have to cultivate an indifferent attitude towards comforts and discomforts, and pleasure and pain.
The concept of the six essentials is to cultivate the intrinsic virtues of consciousness. These are inner practices and have a direct bearing on the process of self-realisation or peaceful
A muni has to sleep on one side of the body during the latter part of the night on bare ground. Sometimes a hard wooden cot is also used. They often try to discipline their bodies by taking a certain posture for a period of time during the severe winter and heated summer days, or in any other unfavourable or uncomfortable weather. This can be achieved by diverting the focus towards the meditation of the true nature of the soul.
The scriptural
description of
liberation. Samayak is a form of meditation for experiencing steadfast equanimity. In order to achieve this, a muni must refrain from such wishful acts as joking, indulgence, sorrow, disgust, fear and sexuality. The unruffled frame of mind is important for spiritual self-realisation. This ritual is undertaken by the muni at least three times a day. Stuti (devotion) is undertaken for the very purpose of asceticism, for example to manifest those very qualities of Jina. The Tirthankaras, Arihants and Siddh Jinas are always a source of inspiration for the muni. Vandana (salutation) is the expression of the obeisance to all kinds of Jina and senior ascetics - Acharya, Upadhya and Senior Muni, with the motive to show the modesty towards righteous and virtuous asceticism. Pratikraman is a form of confession. The muni is supposed to perform Pratikraman every day. He or she has to confess and repent the transgressions and deviations from his or her prescribed code of conduct. This Pratikraman has the characteristic of retrospection and introspection. It is also aimed at fixing the problems arising out of the daily ascetic's ethics. Pratyaakhyan is a prospective act. This can be thought of as a strong determination of the munito expel all inconsistencies in his or her saintly status. Kayotsarga is to cultivate the habit of detachment from one's physical body. The bodily movements and all forms of attachments to the self and body are to be abandoned. This should also be the result of meditation
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The practices of a Jain muni, which have been discussed so far, are resolutions of his or her own will. The concept of afflictions (parreshah) is defined as the experience of
unforeseen adversities. A true muni has to forbear all these Fo Personal & Private Use Only
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