Book Title: Studies in Buddhist and Jaina Monachism
Author(s): Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Previous | Next

Page 98
________________ PABBAJJĀ AND UPASAMPADA 77 Listen to me, Sirs, Mr. X desires upasampada from Venerable A. He is free from the disqualifications and duly provided with almsbowl and robes. Mr. X requests the assembly for upasampada with Venerable A as his upajjhāya. The Sangha ordains Mr. X with Venerable A as his upajjhāya. Those who approve should keep silence and those who do not, should speak. The Sangha has ordained Mr. X with Venerable A as his upajjhāya. The Sangha approves it, therefore it is silent." Thereto, the procedure is virtually completed. Thereafter, the whole formula (sangiti) which mentions the season, date and the accurate time of conversion should be repeated to him so that he might estimate his spiritual age correctly. Lastly the four resources (nissaja) should be told.2 The Jaina sources, on the other hand, attribute a long tradition of twenty-four Tīrt harkaras to the Jaina Order. But at the very outset. it may be pointed out that they, though elaborate, do not trace as a gradual and systematic origin and development of the Jaina monastic system in general and that of the process of initiation and ordination in particular as the Buddhist sources do in its own case. It is, therefore, difficult to say whether the twenty-four Tirthaikaras or any one of them, like the Buddha, considered the inmates of the world ignorant and unworthy of his sermon and denied to reveal it to them on that account. So also, none of the Tirthaikaras is mentioned to have received any person to his fold through a definite process or to have laid down any direct procedure for confe. rring initiation and ordination. But despite the fact, there are instances of persons who embraced Jainism in the presence of one or the other Tirthagkara. Mahāv.ra. the last in the list of the twenty-four Tirtha ukaras, is however alleged to have preached his first sermon to the gods but without any effect.4 The first person to be blessed with the sermon of Mahivira was Gautarna Indrabhūti and his colleagues among men and Vasumati (Candanabāla) among women. Prominent among those who joined MY, 1, 68. 125-26, pp. 97-91. 2. Ibid, 1. 69. 128, p. 100. The futility of Mahavia's sermon hirts to the incapability of the gods to receive it.--Ţhān, 777, p. 523b. 4. Ibid, 777, p. 523b; Comm to Țhän, p. 524a. 5. Tirthankara Vardhamana, pp. 51-52.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306