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Their Rites, Cults and Religious Festivals : 169
of the four essentials elements of life on earth. Let us recall on that matter the Jain declaration on nature.
f) Purity and fundamental virtues: During their life, all Jains try hard to get their soul rid of material particles of “karma” that obscure, enslave and deceive it. For that, they take vows, practice austerities and penances (especially numerous fasts) and are bent on cultivating the multiple virtues of the Jina (the conquerors of passions), of the Siddha (those who have attained absolute purity of the soul and are forever rescued from the cycle of deaths and rebirths). We will not come back on these virtues but to remember those among them that are in great esteem: non-violence, equanimity, honesty, frankness, charity, love and respect for humans, animals, plants, etc.
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Their ways of practicing cult
In studying Jain diversity, we have already briefly seen the common practices of worship of the various obediences. We will not repeat them. What we want to detail here concerns the “pūjā”, that are extremely multiple in their moods, and some other practices like "mantra", "sūtra”, prayers, religious songs and hymns.
a) “Pūjā”. In Jain ritual, we must discern two fundamental kinds of “püjā": those that include material elements, like offerings of rice, flowers, etc. called "dravya-pūjā” and those purely mental, internal, called “bhāva-pūja”. Ascetics, who are absolutely detached from material things, do not practice the first; the laity practices both.
These “pūjā” may be very short and simple or include multiple rites. We will try to see some of them, knowing that it is to the adept to define his choice if he is alone or to the community if it calls upon an officiant named “pujāri”.
To be simple we will explain what a Jain laity may do during a “pūjā” of medium length. We will cite the case of “pājā" performed in temples because those performed at home are regarded as more
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