World Of Jainism

Author(s): Vishwanath Pandey
Publisher: Vishwanath Pandey

Page 80

78
THE ORIENT
(guptis), e.g., control of mind (mano-gupti), control of speech (vag-gupti) and control of body or action (kaya-gupti); (2) by fivefold regulations (samitis), e.g., following proper path (Irya samiti), proper speech (bhasa), proper alms (eshana), acquiring only necessary things (adana), and choosing proper place for answering nature's call." The practice of tenfold moral virtues (dharma) and contemplating (anupreksha) are absolutely necessary. The abstinences from injury (himsa), falsehood (anrita), theft (steya), unchastity (abrahmacarya), and acquisition of property (parigraha) enjoined on laymen and monks, and known as anuvratas and mahavratas with reference to laymen and monks respectively, are absolutely necessary for moral life. To this list Uttaradhyayana (XXX) adds one more abstinence and that is, refraining from eating at night. This Sutra classifies the austerities into internal and external and gives an exhaustive account of all these which, though, important, cannot be elaborated here. The Jaina monks are supposed to know and bear twenty two troubles: (1) hunger, (2) thirst, (3) cold, (4) heat, (5) gad-flies and gnats, (6) nakedness, (7) to be discontended with objects of control, (8) women, (9) erratic life, (10) place for study, (11) lodging,. (12) abuse, (13) corporal punishment, (14) to ask for something, (15) to be refused, (16) illness, (17) picking up grass, (18) dirt, (19) kind and respectful treatment, (20) knowledge, (21) ignorance, (22) righteousness."9 Jainism prescribes more rigorous discipline to its monks than Buddhism does to its monks.
The Jaina system of meditation is very similar to the Buddhist system of Satipatthana bhavana where a monk is supposed to keep all the time (standing, sitting, lying down, jumping, etc.) his mind away from abnoxious desires. The only difference between the two is whereas Jainism usually restricts the object of meditation to refraining from causing suffering to living beings,50 Buddhism is more contemplative and advises the meditators to ponder over the nature of things.
That the passion (trisna) or ignorance (avidya) is the cause of suffering, and that knowledge (jnana) is the means by which the ignorance can be destroyed and the soul can be freed, are the common beliefs of all systems of Indian philosophy. Jainism shares these beliefs with other systems. These system persue almost similar analysis of moral virtues, and their ultimate goal is the same, that is, the destruction of suffering and the attainment Nirvana or Moksa-the supreme goal of life. There is nothing very striking with any one system insofar as their
47. See Uttaradhyayana, XXXIV, 1-27 for details; also Tattvartha Sutra, Chapters VII-IX: Uttaradhyayana, XVI-1, mentions ten guptis.
48. Akaranga. II, 15. 50. Ibid, XXIV, 24-25.
49. Uttaradhyayana, II, 1