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Their Ascetics : 207
meditation and self-restraint, to realize the Self according to various vows. This is the case in particular in India for young widows who will have so a better life this way than if they remained despised. It may also be the wish of a young girl who does not want to marry and who prefers to devote herself to religious activities. It may be perhaps also the case for some "dalita” who have the desire to not remain in India in so bad conditions. It may be too the wish to follow the way already followed by a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a relative, a friend, etc.
For a lay Jain who has reached the last step of spiritual progress, it is the crowning of a life devoted to purify the soul, in order to be soon liberated. It may be also the desire to improve one's knowledge of Jain sacred books, to rise up the mind, to give a valuable goal to that life on earth, to share the teachings of the Tīrthankara with other people, to preach non-violence, compassion, tolerance, peace, etc. Like religion, spiritual appeal has numerous causes we do not have the intention to sum up. They are specific motives whose valour and sincerity must be judged by the “Acārya” in charge to accept or to reject candidate monks or nuns.
2. Conditions to fulfil for the admission in an order
To be accepted as a member of a Jain religious order, numerous conditions must be fulfilled. First, it is necessary to be of a minimum of age. It is, as we have said, generally eight years for a boy and thirteen to fifteen years for a girl. In “Ahiṁsā Times” of January 2004, it was mentioned that late "sädhvi "Bhīkāji from the “Terāpantha" branch had undergone "dīkşa" at the tender age of thirteen. If the candidate is a younger, his (her) parents must give their consent. Likewise, for a married man or woman the consent of the husband or of the wife is required. The candidate must be of the same obedience (sampradāya) as the order to be admitted. It is also
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