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40
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
MAY 2015
SANGHA, RULES FOR ASCETICS AND LAY FOLLOWERS. ENLIGHTEN YOURSELF BY SELF STUDY OF JAINOLOGY
LESSON - 6 (1) O DR. KAMINI GOGRI
In the following article we will study about the sixth topic : Sangha, Rules for Ascetics and Lay followers.
When a person renounces worldly life and all worldly attachments and is intiated into monkhood or nunhood. the man is called Sädhu. Shraman or Muni and the woman is called Sadhvi, Shramani or Ärvä. Their re- nunciation is total, which means they are completely detached from social and worldly activities and they do not take any part in those activities anymore. In- stead, they spend their time in spiritually upliftting their souls and guiding householders such as us on how to uplift ourselves (our souls).
Five Great Vows (Mahä Vrata): At the time of initiation, Sädhus and Sadhvis take five major vows and live strictly in accordance with those vows. The five great vows are: (1) Ahinsä Mahävrata - Vow of absolute Non-violence. Ahinsä (Pränätipät Viraman Mahävrata) means Sädhu and Sädhvis will never cause harm or violence to any living being including even the tiniest creatures. (2) Satya Mahävrata - Vow of absolute Truthfulness Satya (Mrushäväda Viraman Mahävrata) means they will not lie. They will speak only harmless truth otherwise they will be in silence. (3) Asteya or Achaurya Mahävrata - Vow of absolute Non-stealing Asteya (Adattädäna Viraman Mahävrata) means without the permission of the owner they will not take anything from anywhere. (4) Brahmacharya Mahävrata - Vow of absolute Celibacy Brahmacharya (Maithuna Virman Mahävrata) means they have to ob- serve celibacy with an absolute adherence to it. The Sädhu or Sädhvis should not even touch a member of the opposite sex regardless of their age. (5) Aparigraha Mahävrata - Vow of absolute Non-attachment Aprarigraha (Parigraha Viraman Mahävrata) means they do not possess anything and do not have any at- tachment for things they keep for their daily needs. In summary, while taking these vows, they say, 'O Lord Arihanta! I will not commit the sins of violence, express falsehood, steal, enjoy sensual pleasures, and be pos- sessive. The above sins I will no commit by speech. thought or deed; nor will I assist or order anyone to
commit these sins. I will not approve or endorse anyone committing such sins. Oh Lord! I hereby take a sacred and solemn vow that throughout my life, I will follow these five major vows and strictly follow the code of conduct laid out for a Sädhu and a Sadhvi.' Therefore, Jain Sädhus and Sadhvis never cause harm or violence to any living being. They live according to the pledge that they do not harm even the tiniest creatures. They always speak the absolute truth. They do not lie on account of fear, desire, anger or deceptive intentions. Without the permission of the owner, they do not take even the smallest thing such as a straw. They observe the vow of celibacy with an absolute adherence to it. The JAIN ASCETICS (SADHUS AND SÄDHVIS) do not touch the members of the opposite sex, even children. If members of the opposite sex touch them by mistake or ignorance, they must undergo a ritual of repentance (Pryshchitta) for self purification. Jain Sädhus and Sadhvis do not keep money with them. They do not own or have control of any wealth, houses, or movable or immovable property or organization. They limit their necessities to the lowest limit and apart from these limits they do not have any attachments or possessions.
Special Rules of Conduct for Specific Activites : In addition to the five great vows, the Jain Sädhus or Sädhvis follows special rules of conduct such as not consuming food or water after sunset or before sunrise, and wait 48 minutes after sunrise before even drinking boiled water. Gochari (Alms): Jain Sädhus and Sadhvis do not cook their food, do not get it prepared for them, and do not accept any food, which has been prepared for them. They go to different householders and receive a small amount of vegetarian food from each house. This practice is called Gochari. Just as cows graze the top part of grass by moving from place to place, taking a little at one place and a little at another, in the same way Jain monk and nuns do not take all their food from one house. They collect it from various houses. The reason Jain Sädhus/Sädhvis accept a small amount of food and not all the food from one
