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who follows the path shown by Jinas). These rules prevent a laity deviating from the spiritual path and prompt him to rise higher. It is the means by which he gets the right attitude of living. Due to these virtues he begins to stop the Karmic influx. From the sincere practice of these rules, his soul gets purified. Ācārya Sri Bhuvanbhanusoorishwarji has nicely classified these rules into following four groups in his book "A Handbook of Jainology" :
Eleven Obligatory Duties II. Eight derogations that ought to be discarded III. Eight virtues to be cultivated and
IV. Eight endeavours to be carried out with diligence. I. The Eleven Duties
A householder devotee should follow some kind of business, trade or profession, which is not of an ignoble or degrading nature. He should do so in a just and honest way and in proportion to his capital, or in case of employment under other people, in proportion to his strength. The business should not harm any men, animals, fish, birds or insects. Therefore the business must not be that of a butcher, brewer, wine merchant, gun-maker or anything which involves destruction of life. When money is earned honestly the mind remains peaceful and the wealth is enjoyed without any disturbance.
The layman should not marry a person from the same lineage. He should marry a person of different Gotra but with similar character, taste, culture and language etc. This will result in harmonious relationship thereby rendering discord and misunderstanding less likely. He should respect parents and elders. He should serve the ascetics who come to him for Bhiksā (food) as well as guests with due respect. He should also help the needy and destitutes and satisfy their needs. He should maintain his dependents and make them work for the well being of the family. He should live in a house which is not accessible to thieves and rogues and cannot be entered by undesirable people. He should dress according to his means but the dress should be decent and not gaudy. His expences should be in proportion to his income.
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