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Śramana, Vol. 60-61, No. 4-1 Oct-Dec. 09 - Jan. - March 10
A STUDY OF JAIN MONASTIC LIFE
Dr. Sunil Kumar Jain*
The six century B.C. was the age of religious ferment and spiritual awakening. A number of thinkers are seen wandering with the assembly of their followers giving sermons related to the spiritual life. The norms related to the moral life, religions life and also the spiritual life are seen disgust by these teachers and the essence of the same are being given to the people. The atmosphere of the country is marked surcharged with such sublime resounding and the impact of the same is a visible fact on the society.
The Mahāvīra appeared in 6th century B.C. and flourished for about three quarter of a century. He established his religious order on sound footing, and prescribed monastic life, and framed rules for social harmony as well as the harmony in the monastic life.
He abounded the domestic life for the sake of suffering humanity. He practised Right-faith, Right-knowledge and Rightconduct and at the end realized the perfect Enlightenment. After that he wandered through different parts of the country and preached the Dhamma. Hearing his sermons, many persons became his followers. Then he formed Samgha or the monastic order. He had very big assemblies of monks. He framed monastic rules to regulate their life in the Samgha.
The monastic life in India was not based or advocated merely on the sad note of disgust of life but it was a real life which struggled hard for the knowledge of reality; for the realisation that this life is not the only life that it is only a passing phase and that there shall be a stage where there can be the end of Samsāra - a
* 1/7019, Shivaji Park, Shahadra, Delhi-32
