________________
Jaina Ethics
195
A true monk should have no desires, nor attachments and should wander about as the known beggar. He should live as a model of righteousness. He is not to live by any profession or occupation ; possessed of full self-control and free from any tics, he should live the life of a homeless mendicant.
The daily routine of a monk is well regulated and regimented. He has to be severely solemn and is obliged to behave in a strictly reserved and inobtrusive manner. He cannot indulge in singing, dancing, laughing or any other form of merry-making. He has to devote much of his time to meditation, study, and in the third part of the day he has to go only for food and drink.?
The Acarangasūtra and Dasavaikalika present a detailed picture of the strict rules for taking a midday meal. He has to be modest in behaviour and give precedence to other receivers and even to animals.8 And such a monk practising the rigours of an ascetic for the sake of a fuller and more perfect life here and hereafter is superior to all others, like a trained 'Kamboja steed' whom no noise frightens, like a strong irresistible elephant, like a strong bull and a proud lion. And one who has given up all worldly ties, is well-versed in the dharma, who practises all codes of ascetic life is the S'ramana, a bhikku, 10
But all cannot renounce the world. It is not possible nor necessary that we should all follow the path of renunciation. We have to live the lives of citizens with numerous social responsibilities. The performance of social responsibilities will certainly lead to the path of the spiritual perfection, in its own way. Living as citizens doing our social duties, it is not possible to practise the vşatas (vows) with the same rigour and discipline as would be required of a monk. We have to practice the vşatas with less rigour as far as possible, still without sacrificing the spirit of the vows. Social obligations are the major duties of citizens. Therefore, the ethical code of the citizen or the house-holder may be called Social ethics. It is Sravaka-dharma. In the Jaina conception of moral life we find, there is the harmonious blending of the secular and the spiritual. The secular has not been neglected. It is a stepping stone for the spiritual perfection. One cannot become
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
