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Jaina Acāra : Siddhanta aura Svarūpa
249 There is too much of disparity in society. Those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth are swimming in wealth. Others, poor and destitute do not have even the wherewithals of making their both ends meet. Some have a row of houses; others, not even a hut Some enjoy delicacies daily; others have not heard even their names. Such conditions are fraught with danger. Silent ramblings are heard now and then. They might any day turn into a sebellion. Needs should be mainimised and that property should not exceed the self-imposed limits.
Monks were both white and sky-clad. The cloth was used to ward off bashfulness, censure, heat, cold, mosquitoes and the like. Cloth or no cloth, the important thing was to feel unclad even when clothed. The inside is much more significant than the outside.
This vow has fifty-four 'bhangas': little-much, atomic and plump, with life and without life. A monk should not possess them with in mind, body and speech. He should not make others possess them nor should he support such possessions. Thus 18 + 18+ 18 will total to 54.
Non-possissiveness is non-attachment, since the very possession or ownership necessarily means attachment which is always binding.
Non-possessiveness frees us from such attachment, which, in turn, can free us from other entanglements.
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