________________
Dikșă: Consecration
471
within the community. In the choice of group-leaders the matter of seniority or age is not taken into account; for example, a newcomer may be appointed. This is in order to help the vairāginis gradually to become detached from all questions of precedence or Honours and to progress towards modesty and self-forgetfulness.
This institution is always in process of becoming and airns at being open to the needs of our age. The vairāginis must prepare themselves to be confronted by now situations, unknown to their elders. Several new directiosn have been envisaged, such as, for example, the designation of certain of their number to study medicine, in order later on after their dikșă, to be at the service of the śramanisaṁgha or, again, the sending of some of the vairāginis, once their studies are completed, to other countries for a while, in order to make known the message of Mahāvira. These would return later to receive dikşā and would be replaced by others.
At the Samsthā, the days begin at four o'clock in the morning with spiritual exercises: āsanas (of yoga), dhyāna, then the guruvandana to the sādhvis of the Seva Kendra75 and to the munis. The greatest part of the day, except for household tasks, is devoted to study. In the evenings the vairāginis organise among themselves literary and cultural activities, group meetings and discussions. They keep up to date the community chronicle. After individual study and a time for reflection and dhyāna, the day ends at ten o'clock.
It goes without saying that they keep in contact constantly with the Ācārya and Sãdhvi Pramukhã and visit them as frequently as is feasible.
In 1972 the annual bulletin, which carries articles by the vairāginis and which is, for the samgha, a means of gaining information (about various activities, results of examinations et cetera) gave the following statistics: since 1948, 334 vairāginis had been admitted to the Samsthā; out of this number: - 215 had received dikṣā; - 74 were continuing their studies there;
75 Cf. P 565.
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