Jaina System of Education

Author(s): Debendra Chandra Das Gupta
Publisher: Bharti Mahavidyalaya

Page 19

LECTURE I
tions to the novices, and others lecturing on secular subjects to the young scholais
Among other dulics, such as bcggmg tours, the monks had to be engaged in daily studies for at lcast thice hours a day and this duty was binding upon all monks Debates on ieligious themes were regularly conducted, and sometimes intra-monaslic debates took place when lcained monks from far off regions came to paiticipate in the debates Debates were also held in the presence of the king who was the presiding oslicer of the debate Libraries were also attached to the monasteries and the learned monks made valuable additions to the library by muting constantly books on diverse subjects-religion, philosophy, astionomy, logic, and arithmetic These monasteries were located mostly in gaidens in the suburbs of capital cities such as Rājagilia, Champala, Srāvastī, Vanijagrāma, Vrgulaccha. Divāiakā, Vallapı, Annillaiapua and in other important cities The sites for these monasteries were caicfully selected along public ioads and 11vers facilitating the picaching lows of the monks and the devotional tours of the devotees of the Jaina Church
Side by side with the monastei ies, the nunneries also sprang up in the capital and other industial cities soi the spread of Jainism and its cultui es among the females and these made valuable contributions to ienaissance movement The nuns inostly came from respectable families and spent then time in deep meditation and in preaching the Jaina gospel Some of the nuns challenged the reputed Buddhist priests during the life time of Lord Buddha, and entered into debales with them on some religious doctrines
The ruling chiefs, merchants and the public vied with one another for the support of the Jaina monasteries, made liberal grants for the cause of Jainism and the Jaina Church which justified its existence by the assiduity, religious fervour and ei udition of the priests All ; the Jaina monasteries were under the general supervision of Gunaśıla, the head Church at Rājagrha, the capital of Magadha Thus the fraternity of Jaina priests contributed to the dissimination of culture, methodically and effectively in a manner which reminds us of the
4 The Uvāsagadasão Vol II tr by A F Rudolf Hoernle, PhD, p 51 5 Mei utanga Ācaya, Prabandhacıntāmani, ti by CH Tawney, p 97