Book Title: Jains Today in World
Author(s): Pirre Paul AMIEL
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Page 184
________________ Their Laymen and Laywomen : 143 2) The vow of sincerity (satya) i.e. to abstain of falsehood directly or indirectly committed, . 3) The vow to abstain of pillage or robbery (asteya) committed by oneself or by the mean of one another, 4) The vow of chastity (brahmacarya) in thoughts, words and acts and fidelity to his wife for a man, her husband for a woman, 5) The vow of non-excessive attachment (aparigraha) to beings and to material things. Samantabhadra has given a definition of this vow in saying that “it concerns the limitation of ones goods and the desire to possess”. Jains sacred books state that falsehood, robbery, lewdness, excessive attachment are acts of violence towards others and towards oneself, and that a Jain who wishes to be liberated must absolutely refrain from them. To keep these promises firmly in their life, the Jain householders must often meditate upon them and think to them continuously. They must also abstain of drinking wine or alcohol, of eating honey or meat, avoid vegetables having roots, fruits with numerous seeds, etc. They must be compassionate towards all living beings in a concept of a close relation and strong dependence between all that lives in the universe. The two mottos of Jainism are “Live and let live”, “Mutual assistance and respect between all beings” (parasparopagrahojivānām). The three "supporting” vows (guņavrata) are: 1) The vow to fix a limit to one's activities regarding worldly affairs in a definite distance in all directions (digvrata); 2) The vow to limit one's worldly activity on a precise territory (deśavrata) Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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