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The Unknown Pilgrims
x) Brahmacarya: The state of life of the ascetic who, having made a vow of celibacy, lives with the guru or guruni and under obedience. 19
362
The ten aspects of the dharma are implicit in the way of life of the sādhvis, but it goes without saying that perfection is not vouchsafed along with the dikṣā and that the observance of each necessitates a sustained personal effort, aided by the study of Scripture, performance of the daily rituals, the community-life and also by anuprekṣā, personal reflection, the fourth means to saṁvara.
d) The anuprekṣās: The twelve sorts of reflection
These are also called bhāvanās and refer to a solid body of themes, which together form the essentials of the doctrine. Reflection, or discursive meditation upon these themes, is an effective means of combatting the passions, of freeing oneself from their grip, and thus of contributing towards the stoppage of karmic matter. These anuprekṣās
are:
i) Anitya-anuprekṣā: everything in the sphere of human relations and earthly goods is fleeting, transitory, subject to time.
ii) Asaraṇa-anuprekṣā: in this world there is no refuge for the jiva, it is unprotected.
iii) Samsara-anuprekṣā: the jiva is gripped in the ceaseless movement of the cycle of existence, an existence which is full of contradictions.
iv) Ekatva-anuprekṣā: solitude is a constituent part of the condition of the jiva who, alone, must rid itself of all forms of ignorance, and liberate itself, 20
19 Cf. Ibid., VI, 55.
20 A metaphysical solitude within a very close-knit community-life. Each sadhvi knows that she must by her own efforts work towards self-purification and Liberation, by imitating the tirthankaras and following their teaching. These latter are certainly an inspiration - and a powerful one at that - but they offer no direct supernatural aid. Each evening, before going to sleep, the sadhvis remind themselves of their solitariness (P 526 ff.).
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