________________
Āryikās: The Digambara Sādhvis
And if nudity is indispensable for reaching nirvāṇa, why are women forced to wear a garment?44 The reasons given can hardly be said to be based on the doctrine.
-
-
As for the far-reaching assertion that women are only capable of a very imperfect degree of self-mastery, no solid doctrinal reason for this is given. Jaina history, experience and tradition - as the authors of the above refutations have declared - often testify to the contrary.
Not only do the majority of arguments put forward lack any real basis, but certain interpretations seem to contradict each other, for after all the whole proposition hinges upon this one point: the major importance attached to the physical constitution, which leads to the imposition of a limit upon spiritual progress on the pretext that a person's dravya-veda cannot change in the course of a life-time.
651
Thus the physical constitution is averred to be the major obstacle to Liberation, but no criteria are given in accordance with which women are adjudged not to possess any of the three bone-structures which are excellent for and indispensable to perfect concentration.
- Now how are we to explain the fact that so profoundly spiritual a tradition, one that is entirely orientated towards interiority and the realisation of the atman, accords to dravya-veda a much greater importance than it does to bhava-veda? Is there not here a contradition?
=
When one has a quick look at the place occupied by the aryikās in their own tradition,45one observes that the Digambaras also speak of the cãturvidhasangha; so they, in practice, do assign a unique place to the aryikās which is not that of the śravikās. They do recognise, therefore, that the aryikās belong to the family of the ascetics.
44 N.B. Aśādhara (the author of the Adh) says that in the last hours of her earthly life a woman may divest herself of all clothing; cf. Sāgāradharmāmṛta VIII, 38 (quoted by Williams, 1963, p. 169 n. 2).
45 Cf. the various documents concerning the aryikās in Part I.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
