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Saṁvara and Nirjarā
359
a) The guptis: The three types of control
The word gupti means protection; the three guptis refer to perfect control of the three yogas, namely, the activities of the mind, of speech and of the body. This mastery of the yogas affords protection against the passions and their consequences. Granted that it is impossible totally to avoid all forms of activity, one must exercise constant care to avoid that which may, in one activity or another, be the cause of himsā.
b) The samitis: The five forms of vigilance
The word samiti means: walk or correct movement. It describes more particularly the first samiti? and, more generally, it means: extreme attentiveness, with reference always to ahiṁsā. The five samitis are: i) Iryā-samiti: vigilance in one's comings and goings so as not to strike or crush living beings. 8
ii) Bhāṣā-samiti: vigilance in one's specch with avoidance of pride, falsehood, anything that might indicate doubt as to the doctrine, lack of discernment.
ii) Eșaņā-samiti: vigilance in the manner in which one requests and accepts the gift of food, drink and other necessary objects, making oneself conform to numerous detailed rules in this regard. 9 iv) Adāna-nikscpa-samiti: the care with which one handles necessary objects and the obscrvance of pratilckhanā i.e. the regular inspection
5 Cf. TS IX, 4 and also MA V, 134-137; Sths 126a; US XXIV, 19-26; YSas I, 41-44.
6 Cf. ADh IV, 154-161; sâmāyika ( P315).
7 CL. ADh p. 351, samiti: sam-iti or samyak-iti: walk or correct movement.
8 Cf. iryāpathika-sūtra , P 706; 533.
9 Cf. AvaS 18; P 534 ff.
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