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The Conduct of a Jaina Monk
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A study of prāyaścittas for transgression of this vow reveals some facts about the actual observance of this vow. There is prāyaścitta for an ācārya for stealing some requisites of his co-religionist, and also for a monk who secretly gathers extra requisites, or who has a duplicate set of requisites, or who refuses to give the requisites to his fellow monk on being asked to do so. It is also mentioned that it is a more serious sin to take away the requisites of a monk of a rival sect than that of one's own sect.?
Vow of celibacy and sexual control
The monk, being a celibate, should be absolutely free from any type of sexual desire. He is to abstain not only from intercourse but also from bodily decoration, sense indul. gence, exciting food, excessive food, songs and dance, association with women, exciting surroundings, passionate thinking, recalling past sexual enjoyment, and planning for future sexual enjoyment.3
Monks should have no connection with women. Even in emergencies like famine, political upsurge, or in uncongenial society, he should keep his senses under control.5 TattvārthaSūtra states the monk should avoid the following 6 :
1. Stories relating to attachment to women. 2. Looking at beauty of women. 3. Recalling past sexual enjoyments. 4. Rich delicious foods. 5. Decoration of the body.
The list of prāyaścittas for transgression of this vow suggests that even monks sometimes yielded to the desire of the flesh.” The guiding principle before Jaina ācāryas, while fixing the rules of behaviour of a monk in relation to a nun, has been this vow of celibacy.
1. Byhatkalpabhāsya. Vol. V, Bhavanagar, 1938, 5064-5087. 2. Ibid., Vol. V, 5088. 3. Mülācāra, 10.105-106. Also Uttarādhyayana, 16.1-10; Bhagavati Arā.
dhanā, 879-880; Anāgāradharmamặta, 4.61 and jñānārņava, 11.7-9. 4. Sūtrakrtānga, p. 272 (1.4.1.5).
Also Uttarādhyayana, 16.1-10; Daśavaikälika, 2.9. 5. Bịhatkalpabhāsya, Vol. V, 4955-58. 6. Pūjyapāda on Tattvārthasūtra. 7.7. 7. Bịhatkalpabhâsya, Vol. III, 2258-2262.
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