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Monks 'Dilemma
Monks' Dilemma
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praise nor angry by abuse. They could not have preached their own worship which is flattery and is not compatible with fundamental Jain tenets. It is certainly the influence of Vaishanavite tradition where the deity is happy and angry as explicitly mentioned in Gita that the devotee good or bad will get pardon even without atoning for bad deeds by doing good deeds. I have one more question about the use of peacock feathers which are obtained both from natural shedding as well as by forcibly pulling out from live or deliberately killed peacocks."
Acharya, "We have to trust the householders who make arrangement for our peacock feather brooms."
Deepak. "But the fact is that both types of feathers are mixed and cannot be distinguished. The saints are also guilty by acquiescing. Recently the government has banned trading in peacock feathers and henceforth it will be illegal to purchase them. Govt. may relax but to be sure that feathers are naturally shed, the Digamber Jain Community should sponsor and finance maintenance of peacock sanctuaries and Govt. may reserve suggested areas.
Acharya, "This is an important aspect. It must be considered seriously by monks and householders. I agree with you that growing tendency of more importance to rituals than the conduct is because of Vaishanavite influence as many Acharyas came from that background."
Deepak, "I have one more personal question. There is always some reason, an important event in life that persuades to renounce household and adopt monkhood. It was so in case of even the first Tirthankara Rishabdeo who renounced on seeing his favourite dancer Nilanjala dying before his own
eyes while performing her dance. What was precisely the reason in your case?"
Acharya, "I do not know the precise reason because I was initiated when I was very young at the age of fifteen years and did not even fully understand the meaning of renunciation. Of course I was regularly attending the discourses of Digamber saints with my parents and was persuaded by parents, the Acharya staying in our town and by prominent members of our co-religionists. However, I remember that marriage of my elder sister which was a big problem for my parents because of unmanageable dowry demand materialised soon after."
Deepak, "It means that Jain community helped your family financially. Kindly tell about other monks you may know."
Acharya, "Monks are advised not to talk about this. If asked they should say that they entered monkhood out of their own will. I was very close to my Acharya and he once told me that he adopted monkhood because he was unable to make his both ends meet and support his family from his meagre earnings from his petty shop and was getting indebted. The Jain community promised to support his family and deposited five lakhs as a deposit from the interest of which my family is now living well."
Deepak, "It is clear that the monks who got initiated at early age do not have any experience of the challenges and responsibilities of house and are therefore not competent to preach or advise the householders. Likewise those who could not face the vicissitudes of household themselves and ran away as escapists are also not at all competent to tender any advice."
Acharya, "Monks devote most of their time in studying
