Walk With Me

Author(s): Chandanaji Acharya, Vastupal Parikh
Publisher: Veerayatan

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Walk With Me
Mahavir's revolutionary decision to ordain a woman sent shockwaves in our sangh as well as in the community. In our maledominated culture, treating women with such respect and honor was beyond belief for they were possessions, not persons! We believed that, at birth, a woman is a burden to her father, after marriage, to her husband; and in old age, to her children. She was incapable of independent thought and therefore unable to make any decisions, and lacked the right to participate in spiritual or religious activities.
Though I was momentarily somewhat uneasy about a women being ordained in our sangh, I soon realized that Mahavir's revolutionary step was very timely. The ordination of Chandana opened the floodgates. Mahavir appointed sadhvi Chandana – the first sadhvi (nun) in our sangh - to head the group of women joining the sangh. Women everywhere, from royal families to rich and poor commoners, were elated by the news and were welcoming the event with the cry of freedom. Thousands were now coming forward to be ordained in the order of Arhat sadlivis under the leadership of Chandana. The Arhat community was expanding rapidly.
Mahavir promptly suggested some codes of conduct for the entire Arhat community and reorganized it into four groups. Ours thus became known as the Chaturvidh (Four-fold) sangh. Those men and women who have given up everything - their wealth, family, and even identity - to be in full pursuit of their liberation are grouped into two groups namely,
(1) Ordained men, i.e. monks or sadhus and (2) Ordained women, i.e. nuns or sadhvis respectively.
Though sadhus and sadhvis live in separate quarters, they are treated as equals in all respects. All our time is devoted to meditation,
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Jain Education Intemational