________________
SĀMĀYIKA
themselves.
Śramana, Vol. 60-61, No. 4-1 Oct.-Dec. 09-Jan. - March 10
"One should forgive and help others forgive;
One should pacify oneself and help others to pacify
Padmanabh S. Jaini
[khamiyabbam khamāyiyabbam; uvasamiyabbam uvasamāyiyabbam. jo uvasamai tassa atthi ārāhaṇā;
jo na uvasamai tassa n'atthi ārāhaṇā. tam ken' atthenam bhante?
uvasamasāram khu sāmannam]
There is spiritual life for one who pacifies himself;
There is no spiritual life for one who does not pacify himself." "Why is this said, Sir?"
"Because the essence of recluseship is pacification."
In these memorable words an ancient Jain text sets forth, for the benefit of all aspiring souls, the quintessence of salvation.
The Jains, probably the oldest of the śramanas', have left a very rich spiritual legacy concerning bondage (bandha) and salvation (mokṣa)- the chief preoccupations of ancient India. Their community, most notably the laity, has preserved to this day an ancient method of purification called sāmāyika, which plays as significant a role as does satipaṭṭhāna (Mindfulness) in Buddhism.
The word Jaina means a follower of a Jina or 'spiritual victor'; this latter title was originally used both for Mahāvīra, the 24th Tirthankara2, and for Gautama the Buddha. In historical times, the Jain ascetics were known as Niganthas (Skt. Nirgrantha), the * With curtsy from 'A Study of Klesa', G.H. Sasaki, (Shimizukobundo Ltd., 2-4 Sarugaki-cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 1975), published originally as "Sāmāyika: A Jain Path of Purification".
