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

Previous | Next

Page 252
________________ 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 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 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