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

Previous | Next

Page 185
________________ 144: JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD 3) The vow to promise to not commit purposeless sinful activities (anarthadanda-vrata). The four disciplinary” vows (śikṣāvrata) are: 1) The vow to practice equanimity, to meditate and to devote particular time everyday to contemplation or meditation of the self for spiritual advancement. 2) The vow to fast on four days of the month, namely, the two eight and the two fourteen days of the month (posadhopavāsa-vrata); and to spend these days as a monk or a nun (posadhopavāsa-vrata). 3) The vow to limit everyday one's enjoyment of consumable and non-consumable things (upabhogaparibhoga-parimāņa-vrata); 4) The vow to take one's food only after feeding the ascetics or in their absence the pious householders that are in need (atithisaṁvibhāga-vrata). In addition, the Jain laity may take the vow to let life go away by fasting (sallekhanā-vrata) if they fulfil conditions fixed by the tenets. All these promises are solemnly taken in front of the statue of a Tīrthankara or of a spiritual master (Ācārya). Their aim is to help the adepts that are living in worldly affairs to not commit sins either by words, thoughts or actions that are causes to accumulation of “karma “ and to remain in the "samsāra ". Many Ācārya have given long enumerations of the failures to these vows. By their discipline of living and their religious practices the Jain laity try like "yogī” and “tāntrika," to purify their body and consciousness and to cleanse their soul of “karma"! • Fundamental virtues of the Jain laity The Jain laypersons also have to practice, according to their obedience, various fundamental virtues (mūla-guna) to perfect their conduct. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360