Jainism by Vividus

Author(s): Ramnik V Shah
Publisher: Ramnik V Shah Canada

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intense or loosened, ready to be purged off or is actually purged off and destroyed, this activity of body, speech and mind is now regulated in strict control. They consciously guard themselves : not thinking or desiring anything bad in mind; not speaking them and not acting upon them, and having always good and noble thoughts. These are called "Guptis" : mana gupti (guarding the mind). vachana gupti (guarding the speech) and kaya gupti (guarding the physical actions of the body). The five small vows (Anuvratas) of non-injury, truth, non-stealing, celibacy and non-possession of the householder now become five big vows (Mahavratas) and they have to be observed in their strictest form without committing default under any circumstances whatsoever. Five forms of carefulness are therefore used. They are called 'samitis': (1) Irya samiti (carefulness in walking, non-injury to any embodied soul i.e. insects, worms etc.), (2) Bhasha samiti (carefulness in speech, avoiding censure of others, self-praise, talk about women, kings. thieves, eatables etc., and always speaking only positive and beneficai words), (3) Eshana samiti i.e. carefulness in desiring food by learning to be satisfied with whatever food that is offered, provided it is free from all impurity. (4) A dana-nikshepana samiti (carefulness in placing and taking up things, articles etc.) and lastly (5) Pratishthapanika samiti or Utsarga samiti (carefulness in answering calls of nature and disposing of refuse). Practically, in all operations, loss of life, however small, has to be prevented, and saving of life, however small, has to be attempted, Gentleness in movements, sweeping, inspecting, seeing sufficiently ahead etc., are the necessary requisites.
In order to keep in the right path to perfection and to annihilate all karma, saints have further to learn to accept twenty-two kinds of endurances (Parishaha) without flinching. These are: (1) hunger, (2) thirst, (3) cold, (4) heat, (5) mosquito-bite or bites of some such other insects, (6) nudity, (7) disgust (8) sex-feeling, (9) movement. (10) sitting, (11) lying. (12) anger, (13) beating, (14) begging, (15) non-acquisition, (16) disease, (17) thorn or straw pricks,
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